District gears up for paddy procurement for Kharif season

Tirupati: The State Civil Supplies Department has begun procuring paddy in the district for the Kharif 2025-26 season and government has announced the minimum support prices for this, said District Collector Dr S Venkateswar.

The Collector held a virtual review meeting on preparations for paddy procurement here on Friday. District In-Charge Joint Collector, Municipal Commissioner N Mourya, District Procurement Committee members, and others attended.

Speaking on the occasion, the Collector said district will produce about 5.50 lakh metric tonnes of paddy from 1,30,350 acres. The government will buy every grain of the harvested crop. For procurement, Grade-A paddy is priced at Rs. 2,389 per quintal, and common grade at Rs. 2,369 per quintal.

He directed agriculture and agricultural marketing officials to complete e-crop booking by the third week of January. All departments must work together to ensure no farmer sells paddy below the minimum support price. They should solve farmers’ problems on the spot during procurement. Officials must create awareness among farmers about paddy moisture levels and quality standards. PACS societies were told to prepare warehouses, laborers, transport facilities, and equipment for quality checks in advance. They should appoint staff through the district cooperative society and take steps to avoid any issues at any stage.

District Civil Supplies Officer Srinivasa Raju, District Agriculture Officer Prasad Rao, marketing department officials, district cooperative society representatives were present.