With failed Mission Paddy: Farmers left in quandary

Hyderabad: The TRS delegation has returned from Delhi but the problems pertaining to the paddy procurement did not make any progress. They are now facing two-fold problems; one regarding non-procurement of paddy during present kharif despite long wait at market yards and another is that they are not sure of rabi situation.

The Centre has made it clear that they will not buy parboiled rice anymore and Union Minister for Food Supplies Piyush Goyal had made it clear even on Tuesday when a delegation of ministers, MPs and officials led by K T Rama Rao met him.

Though Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao himself camped at Delhi for three days, he could not get the appointment of the Union Ministers or the Prime Minister. It is learnt that they had informed the officials that the meetings could be scheduled only after the winter session of Parliament was over sometime towards the end of December. The ambiguity on the area to be brought under paddy would continue till then. The Centre had made it clear that during kharif it cannot buy more than a maximum of 70 lakh metric tonnes of paddy. They said it was not possible to buy 120 lakh metric tonnes as demanded by the State Government. They also wanted the government to come up with details about paddy cultivation during the ongoing kharif season.

Official sources said that the State was already struggling to procure paddy stocks produced during kharif due to the delay in the purchase by the rice millers. Unless the State and Centre come to an understanding on the rice procurement, the confusion would continue both at the government level and among the farmers.

Rice millers' association leader T Devendar said the rice mills were not ready to buy paddy from the farmers in view of the delay in the procurement by the State and Union Government. He said the rice mills were still struggling to dispose of the rice stocks purchased during last rabi season. Meanwhile, farmers continue to suffer.

The Chief Minister, according to officials, would convene a meeting on rabi crop with the officials of state Agriculture department soon. The government is likely to take a decision that paddy should not be grown during rabi and will advise the farmers on the alternative crops pattern.