Nellore: In the wake of paddy harvesting beginning from February third week in the current Rabi season, the district administration has set up as many as 300 paddy procurement centres (PPCs) across the district.
According to District Agriculture Officer P Satyavani, farmers have cultivated paddy in four lakh hectares in the district in the present Rabi season.
When The Hans India contacted, the officer said that they are expecting an yield of 11 lakh metric tonnes of paddy, following the availability of water and several initiatives being taken by the administration.
However the DAO appealed the farmers to avoid selling paddy to middlemen as the district administration has set up 300 paddy procurement centres to provide minimum support price (MSP) to them for their produce. She said that in the present Rabi season farmers have cultivated PNR 15048, KWM 1638 varieties in a big way. She said that there is a huge demand for these two varieties in Tamil Nadu and Karnataka States as the traders are coming to nellore to purchase these varieties.
Keeping in view the demand for these two varieties and as per the directions of the government, the administration is paying Rs 19,700 for 850 bags of paddy by considering moister percentage as 17 per cent.
The DAO urged farmers not to approach middlemen as they will cheat them by paying very low price by quoting moisture percentage as more than 22 per cent.
Normally, farmers in nellore district will sell their produce in the fields itself immediately after harvesting the crop to get ready cash. Meanwhile, Kovur MLA Vemireddy Prashanthi Reddy met Joint Collector Karthik at his chamber on Thursday and appealed him to take initiative for providing MSP to the farmers for their produce.
