Hyderabad: In light of the commencement of the Kharif harvest season across Telangana, Agriculture Minister Tummala Nageswara Rao held a high-level review meeting with the Managing Directors of key procurement and marketing agencies, including Markfed, HACA, RIC and the Marketing Department. The meeting on Thursday focused on the preparedness of the state machinery to facilitate the smooth procurement of paddy and other major crops.

The minister emphasised the need for immediate deployment of essential infrastructure such as grain cleaners, tarpaulins and other procurement-related equipment across districts. He reviewed the availability of these resources and instructed officials to ensure that procurement centres are fully equipped to handle the incoming produce without delay or damage.

Addressing concerns over maize procurement, the minister acknowledged that the Central government has not shown willingness to procure maize this season. However, keeping farmers’ interests in mind, he announced that the Telangana government, under the direction of the Chief Minister, will initiate maize procurement through Markfed starting tomorrow. He also directed officials to take steps to open soybean procurement centers without delay.

Regarding cotton, the minister informed that the Cotton Corporation of India (CCI) has completed its tendering process.

He urged district collectors to notify ginning centres by tomorrow so that cotton procurement can begin immediately. He stressed that all procurement activities must be coordinated efficiently to avoid inconvenience to farmers.

To streamline operations, the government has appointed one Head of Department (HoD) as the nodal officer for procurement coordination in each erstwhile district. These officers will work closely with district collectors to ensure that procurement centers function smoothly and that farmers face no hurdles.

Officers include the MD of Warehousing Corporation for Nizamabad, Director of Horticulture for Warangal, Director of Agriculture for Nalgonda, MD of HACA for Mahbubnagar, Director of Marketing for Khammam, Director of Seed Certification for Adilabad, MD of AGROS for Karimnagar, MD of Markfed for Medak, and MD of Oilfed for Ranga Reddy participated in the meeting.

The meeting was attended by Agriculture Secretary Surendra Mohan, HACA MD Chandrasekhar Reddy, Markfed MD Srinivas Reddy, and Marketing Director Lakshmibai. The Minister reiterated the government’s commitment to safeguarding farmer interests and ensuring timely procurement at fair prices.