Civil Supplies Minister N Uttam Kumar Reddy addressing a press conference in Hyderabad on Monday.
Civil Supplies Minister N. Uttam Kumar Reddy said the paddy procured this year compared to the previous year was much higher and released the comparative figures through a powerpoint presentation.
Giving a comparative statement on paddy procurement this year (as of April 14) he said that as against 7,031 paddy procurement centres (PPCs) proposed last year, this year their number has increased to 7,149 centres. While only 335 PPCs were opened by April 14 last year, this year, as of March 25, a total of 6,919 centres have been opened. “Whereas only 233 Metric Tonnes (MTs) of paddy were procured last year, as of April 14, a total of 269,699 MTs (2.70 LMTs) have been procured so far,” he said at a press conference.
He dismissed the claims of BRS leaders Harish Rao and Jeevan Reddy that global tenders called by the Civil Supplies Corporation to dispose of enormous paddy stocks as a scam. “They suffer from knowledge on procurement or auction.”
The Minister clarified that during the previous BRS regime, the Telangana State Rice Millers Association gave a representation on June 7, 2023, requesting the then government to conduct paddy auction of Rabi 2022-23, as the quality of paddy was inferior and damaged. “Earlier tender done by the previous BRS government fetched an average price of only ₹1,702.51 per quintal though the paddy was only three months old. Consequently, the tenders were cancelled and floated again,” he said.
In the Congress government, a fresh committee suggested modalities and oversaw the tender process. Accordingly, tenders were floated and finalised, fetching an average price of ₹2,022.50 per quintal, although the paddy was nine months old and deteriorated.
“With 50 lakh Metric Tonnes Telangana is the top State in the procurement estimate of rice against the Rabi crop during 2023-24. The estimate is 25 lakh MTs for Andhra Pradesh, 10 lakh MTs for Odisha, 8 lakh MTs for Tamil Nadu, and 3.42 lakh MTs for Maharashtra,” he said.
Mr. Uttam Kumar Reddy said the entire infrastructure required for paddy procurement has been made available on time. These include tarpaulins (1,72,884); paddy cleaners (8,184); moisture meters (9,638) and weighing scales with weights (12,869).
The Minister also gave examples of paddy purchases above the minimum support price (MSP). For instance, in Nizamabad’s Varni area, the purchase rate was ₹2,350 per quintal. Similarly, it was between ₹ 2,600 and ₹ 2,750 in Miryalguda of Nalgonda, ₹2,300 and ₹2,900 in Kesamundram of Mahabubabad, and ₹2,500 and ₹ 2,900 in Mangapet of Mulugu district. He also said that the Congress government has ensured immediate transportation of paddy from procurement centres to the mills.
