Government won't procure paddy during Yasangi: Niranjan Reddy

Hyderabad: Agriculture Minister S Niranjan Reddy on Sunday reiterated that the government will not procure paddy if farmers go for paddy during Yasangi.

Addressing a press conference at Telangana Bhavan, along with MLA M Anand, MLC Surabhi Vani Devi and M Sreenivas Reddy, he asked farmers not to go for paddy in Yasangi. "Do not go for paddy in Yasangi, as the government will not open procurement centres in the State. Instead go for alternative crops," he advised farmers.

The Minister said the State MPs were fighting with the Centre on the issue of paddy procurement, but it was not heeding to the demand of the State government. "It is the responsibility of the Centre to procure paddy from the State; the State government acts like a facilitator. The Centre is delaying the procurement hence the state government is purchasing paddy and paying money to farmers taking the interest burden," asserted Reddy.

He said it was the Centre, which introduced the boiled rice policy. "It is not Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao who promoted boiled rice. It was the FCI which brought this. The boiled rice comes from the southern States, said the minister. "The two national party heads in the State are members of Parliament. One can fight the Centre, but he is not; the other one can convince his government, but he too is not doing so," observed Reddy, referring to A Revanth Reddy and Bandi Sanjay.

The Minister claimed that because of the attitude of the Centre, the State government has been asking farmers to go for alternative crops during the last one and half years.