Target of 4 lakh MT paddy procurement set for Kharif

Eluru: District collector K Vetriselvi has instructed the concerned officials to make arrangements with solid plans to target the procurement of four lakh metric tonnes of paddy in Eluru district during the Kharif. She convened a meeting at the Collectorate here on Thursday on the advance planning for the procurement of paddy for Kharif. Speaking on the occasion, she said that farmers should not face any difficulty in the procurement of Kharif paddy. The officials should identify the problems that the farmers will face in advance and take steps to resolve them. While cultivation extended to 1,91,534 acres in the current Kharif in the district, it is estimated that 5,74,552 metric tonnes of paddy will be produced, and the officials should make full arrangements to procure 4 lakh metric tonnes of paddy from the farmers at the support price. In Kharif, the common variety will be purchased at Rs 2,369 per quintal and Grade A variety at Rs 2,389 per quintal, as per the moisture content, at the minimum support price set by the government.

Last year, the district had set a target of 3.50 lakh metric tons of grain procurement, and in the current Kharif, a total of 4 lakh metric tons has been set as the target of paddy procurement, with an additional 50,000 metric tons to the previous target.

The collector instructed the officials to complete 100 per cent e-crop and e-KYC registration at the village level before the grain procurement process. Custodian officers should be appointed without any difficulty in grain procurement, and a paddy procurement committee should be formed at the mandal level and continuous monitoring should be done.

The amount of paddy coming from each area should be estimated and steps should be taken accordingly for procurement. She said that 265 grain procurement centres have been set up in the district, and a proper plan should be implemented so that there is no difference in the quality, quantity and moisture content of the grain. The grain collection centres should be coordinated with the rice mills in a manner convenient for the farmers. Computers, gunny bags, weighing machines, and moisture measuring devices should be installed in the purchase centres.

Special Deputy Collector Devaki Devi, DSO Abraham, District Civil Supplies Manager Sivaramamurthy, District Agriculture Officer SK Habib Basha, Deputy Transport Commissioner Sheikh Karim, DCO Srinivas, DCMS BM Krishna Mohan, FCI DM KP Reddy, representatives of the Rice Millers Association, representatives of the Transport Association and others participated in the meeting.