Cultivation of MTU 1001 variety of paddy banned

Srikakulam: The district administration has banned the cultivation of MTU 1001 variety of paddy crop from the current kharif season. The ban is aimed to prevent illegal procurement of same paddy produce from adjacent Odisha state by the millers of the district and also to stop recycling of rice distributed under public distribution system (PDS) through fair price shops.

In Odisha, 1001 variety of paddy crop is being cultivated and millers from Srikakulam procure the variety produced from there by paying low price and showed it as levy target. Millers have to procure paddy from local farmers by paying minimum support price (MSP) and supply it as levy to civil supplies department every year and in turn government is paying amount to the millers.

But millers of Srikakulam district are procuring paddy produce from Odisha by paying low price and showed it as levy target here. As a result, the district farmers are unable to sell their paddy produce here and they are being exploited by local middlemen.

Rice distributed to poor families under the PDS is produced from 1001 but most of poor families are selling the same rice to local brokers at Rs 15 per kg. This rice is being recycled and mixed in branded rice in open market by the traders and selling it to customers with high price.

"The aim of government is to distribute rice for Rs 1 a kg to poor families under the PDS is being defeated and misused. Millers also cheating the civil supplies department by procuring it from Odisha, as a result, farmers also affected here.

To arrest it, we have banned cultivation of 1001 variety of paddy crop," district supply officer A Krishna Rao and Joint Director for Agriculture K Ch Appala Swamy told to The Hans India. We have supplied MTU 1156, 1075, 1061 varieties of paddy seed to farmers as alternatives, the joint director added.