Collector B.M. Santhosh Directs Officials to Ensure Smooth Paddy Procurement Without Farmer Inconvenience

Gadwal: Jogulamba Gadwal District Collector B.M. Santhosh has directed officials to make all necessary arrangements at paddy procurement centers to ensure that farmers face no difficulties during the procurement season.

Speaking at a training program for in-charges of procurement centers held on Tuesday at the IDOC meeting hall in Gadwal, the Collector said that farmers will begin bringing their Kharif paddy to the government procurement centers from the first week of November.

He instructed that 84 procurement centers across the district be made operational starting October 8. The Collector emphasized that weighing machines, moisture testing equipment, and sufficient gunny bags must be available at all centers to prevent any shortage.

Recalling that farmers had to wait for over 15 days last season due to a shortage of gunny bags and other logistical issues, he ordered officials to prevent such problems this year by ensuring adequate arrangements in advance.

The Collector advised agricultural officers to instruct farmers to properly dry their paddy at the fields before bringing it to the centers. The procurement will be based only on certified slips issued by the concerned AEOs (Agricultural Extension Officers) verifying the moisture content and quality of the paddy.

He also directed officials to ensure the availability of laborers (hamalis) and transport vehicles so that the procured paddy can be promptly transported to nearby rice mills without any delay.

The responsibility of paddy procurement has been entrusted to women’s self-help group (SHG) members, who must strictly follow the government guidelines. The Collector warned that strict action would be taken if anyone other than SHG members is found purchasing paddy at the centers.

He stated that SHG members will earn a good commission through this process, helping them achieve economic self-reliance, as envisioned by the government.

Highlighting the revised Minimum Support Price (MSP), the Collector said that the Central Government has increased the MSP by ₹69 per quintal this year. Accordingly, fine paddy will be purchased at ₹2,389 per quintal, with the State Government adding a ₹500 bonus, while common paddy will be procured at ₹2,369 per quintal.

The district has been set a target of 2.97 lakh tonnes of paddy procurement this season. The Collector assured that any issues arising at procurement centers will be resolved promptly if brought to the attention of the concerned officials. He also instructed senior officers to conduct regular inspections of procurement centers and to take strict action against those violating procurement regulations.

The program was attended by Additional Collector (Revenue) Lakshminarayana, District Civil Supplies Officer Swami Kumar, Manager Vimala, Cooperative Officer Srinivas, Marketing Officer Pushpamma, DRDA APD Srinivas, trainers, and other officials.