Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) has alleged that the Congress Government in Telangana is not only denying the promised bonus of ₹500 per quintal of paddy but is also not ensuring the Minimum Support Price (MSP) to the major crop as the procurement by Government agencies led by the State Civil Supplies Corporation are going on at a snail’s pace.
Addressing a press conference in Hyderabad on Friday, party MLA Palla Rajeshwar Reddy, former legislators Gandra Venkataramana Reddy and M. Srinivas Reddy claimed that the delay in commencing procurement even in the opened purchase centres was forcing the farmers to dispose of their produce to private traders at a price as low as ₹1,500 per quintal against the MSP of ₹2,203 per quintal for A-Grade varieties and ₹2,183 for Common varieties.
Citing an example of the procurement centre opened in Jangaon district, they said only 440 tonnes of paddy was purchased from farmers so far at the 193 purchase centres. Around 4,000 tonnes had arrived at market yards/purchase centres so far, but the procurement was hardly 10%. As a result, the farmers were being forced to sell their produce at ₹1,500 to ₹1,530 per quintal to private traders.
Despite representing the matter to the marketing/civil supplies officials by farmers and the matter going to the notice of even the Chief Minister’s office, the farmers got only ₹30 more per quintal. They reminded that during the run up to the State Assembly elections-2023, Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy had repeatedly assured the farmers that paddy would be purchased at ₹2,500 per quintal and ₹500 per quintal bonus too would be paid.
They sought to know what Mr. Revanth Reddy and Deputy CM M. Bhatti Vikramarka were doing after making tall claims during the Assembly election campaigning. They noted that the farming community had lost faith in the Government after they were deceived on crop loan waiver and rythu bandhu/bharosa, and were taking their produce to private traders as the delay in disposal of the produce would add to their losses.
Further, they mentioned that the Chief Minister was praising the Jangaon district authorities for making traders purchase paddy at ₹1,560 per quintal but what about ₹700 per quintal loss being suffered by farmers? They stated that the farmers were suffering from lack of support price on one side and withering/loss of crops on the other.
