EG district to procure 2.5 lakh tonnes of paddy
Tourism, Culture, and Cinematography Minister Kandula Durgesh inaugurated a paddy procurement centre at Morta village under the Nidadavole constituency on Saturday.
RAJAMAHENDRAVARAML: Tourism, Culture, and Cinematography Minister Kandula Durgesh inaugurated a paddy procurement centre at Morta village under the Nidadavole constituency on Saturday.
Addressing the gathering at the venue, he assured farmers that the coalition government was firmly committed to purchasing every grain produced by them.
The Minister paid floral tributes to Dr Babu Jagjivan Ram by garlanding his portrait at the Rythu Seva Kendra before officially launching the procurement process by driving a tractor carrying paddy bags into the yard.
Minister Durgesh said that the paddy procurement target for East Godavari district during the current rabi season has been increased from 2 lakh metric tonnes to 2.5 lakh metric tonnes. He stated that the government ensures payments are credited to farmers’ accounts within 48 hours of procurement.
He instructed officials not to trouble farmers regarding moisture content in paddy, adding that minor variations should not lead to rejections. He also urged staff at the procurement centre to avoid making farmers wait unnecessarily.
The Minister said the government was offering Rs 3.75 for each gunny bag purchased and warned against using poor-quality bags.
“Only when the farmer thrives, the State will prosper,” Durgesh said, emphasising that the responsibility to ensure prompt distribution of quality gunny bags lies with the officials.
Lauding Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu as a tech-savvy leader, Durgesh said Andhra Pradesh was the only State effectively leveraging modern technologies like artificial intelligence in governance.
He noted that WhatsApp governance is now in effect, enabling farmers to receive procurement-related updates and solutions to their queries by simply sending a “Hi” message to 7337359375.
Joint Collector S Chinna Ramudu noted that paddy yield this rabi season has been encouraging. He added that all gunny bags must bear the respective millers’ QR codes without fail.
RDO Rani Susmitha and in-charge DSO S Bhaskar Reddy also participated in the event.
