Karimnagar: Dry food grains before bringing them to purchasing centres

Karimnagar: Farmers must bring food grains to the purchasing centres after drying them in their villages and the food grains with moisture content more than 17 percent will not be purchased, informed BC Welfare and Civil Supplies Minister Gangula Kamalakar. Along with MLC Naradasu Laxman Rao, the Minister had inaugurated a purchasing centre in the premises of Agriculture Market Committee at Karkhanagadda in Karimnagar on Tuesday.

Speaking on the occasion, the Minister said that paddy crop harvesting started across Telangana State, but the farmers are facing lot of problems due to the unexpected rains as it was the perfect time for harvesting. "The farmers are harvesting the crop with cutting machine and the grains directly to the purchasing centre without drying them. Such type of food grains with more than 17 percent moisture content will not be accepted in any purchasing centre. Farmers must dry them first before bringing them to the purchasing centre for selling," he suggested. Other State governments did not establish purchasing centres till date, so there is chance for the farmers of neighbouring States to bring their yield to the purchasing centres here in the State, he observed.

The officials must be aware of this and must not purchase food grains brought by the farmers of other States. Establish check posts at the borders and prevent transport of food grains from other States. Collect the details of the farmers from the agriculture officer of respective region and then after confirmation only purchase the food grains, the Minister advised. Joint Collector Shyam Prasad Lal, marketing department DD Padmavathi, civil supply officer Sri Mala, chairman of the District Cooperative Central Bank Konduri Ravinder Rao and Manager of civil supply authority Srikanth were present along with others.