Telangana urges Centre to enhance target rice procurement during Kharif season
Hyderabad, Nov 17 (UNI) A day after deciding to hold a ‘maha dharna’ at Indira Park in the city on November 18 demanding that the Centre procure paddy/rice produced during the Rabi season, the Telangana government on Wednesday requested the Union government to confirm the target of procurement of rice from the state of Telangana during ensuing Rabi season.
In his letter address to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Chief Minister K.Chandrashekar Rao requested him to direct the Food Corporation of India (FCI) to enhance the target beyond 40 lakh MTs for procurement of rice during the ongoing Kharif-2021-22 to 90 per cent of the production as done in Punjab state.
He also urged the Prime Minister to direct the FCI to complete the procurement of the remaining five lakh MTs of rice produced in Rabi-2020-21.
To clear confusions and fix the appropriate target for procurement. The CM said he had personally met the Union Minister for food and Public Distribution Piyush Goyal in September 2020 and requested him to fix the annual target for procurement immediately, but “no policy” decision has been taken and communicated to the state till date.
Due to the enormous increase in irrigation facilities after the formation of the state, Telangana is not only able to meet its food grain requirement but has become a a huge grain surplus state.
FCI, which has the mandate of ensuring food security for the people by maintaining the buffer stocks and supplying rice and wheat through the Public Distribution System (PDS), is following certain policies which are creating confusion in the minds of farmers as well as the state government, the CM said.
These policies are : the target of procurement is not fixed for the entire year in one go and even though the production is increasing year by year the procurement is not keeping pace.
Due to the above policies, it is becoming difficult for the states to plan an appropriate cropping pattern and explain the same to the farmers.
For instance, even though the production of rice in Telangana during Kharif 2020-2021 was 55.75 lakh Metric tons (LMT), the procurement was only 32.66 LMT which is 59 percent of the production. This was less than the 78 per cent procurement in Kharif 2019-20, he pointed out.
Such wide variations in procurement levels do not allow the state to implement a ‘rational cropping pattern’, the CM said in his letter.
The entire cabinet, elected representatives and Rythu Bandhu Samithi workers will participate in the dharna.
This would be the party’s second protest programme in six days. The ruling party hit the roads on November 12 demanding that the Centre procure paddy/rice produced in the Rabi season.
In a press conference on Tuesday, the CM said “BJP is adopting a dual policy on paddy procurement. The Centre should clarify the extent of paddy (target) for the entire year, and the quantity of raw rice they want to procure in the coming yasangi (rabi) season.
The chief minister declared that the pink party would introduce resolutions in the state assembly against new farm laws and ‘black laws’.
He said the party’s elected representatives would question the Centre at various forums till it gives clarity.
UNI KNR RKM 1928
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