Paddy from neighbour States continues to sneak into TS

Procurement goes on at snail’s pace with ryots’ woes compounded by untimely rains

Irrespective of the reasons, the exercise of paddy procurement this rabi season is leaving the farming community in tears with the purchases at procurement centres going at a snail’s pace. As if it is not enough, entry of paddy from neighbouring States is compounding their woes coupled with damage of the grain in the untimely rains.

Although it’s more than a month since the procurement exercise began on April 14, only 16.6 lakh tonnes of paddy worth about ₹1,700 crore has been procured so far from nearly 4 lakh farmers. According to information reaching here from different parts of the State some farmers were being made to wait for over two weeks with their produce in the market yards/procurement centres for their turn for disposal and sufferings heaped by untimely rains damaging their toil.

The Civil Supplies Department has arranged 53 check-posts in the areas bordering with neighbouring States — Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Maharashtra and Chhattisgarh — to prevent flow of paddy stocks from those States. As the department has no wherewithal to handle the check-posts/obstructing paddy flow from other States, the task has been given to the Vigilance Department.

However, except for stopping lorries and other vehicles coming with paddy load at a few places initially there has been no major impact. Official sources stated that traders in collusion with some officials were moving the paddy from neighbouring States into Telangana in the name of local farmers who had not even raised the crop this season.

“The farming community was discouraged from cultivating paddy but they went for it later without booking their crop details with the agriculture extension officers concerned, now giving an opportunity to the traders who are purchasing paddy at ₹1,400 per quintal or even lesser in the absence of extensive procurement exercise there bringing it into Telangana from routes where check-posts are not there and selling it in procurement centres at the support price of ₹1,960 per quintal with the help of local leaders and officials,” a senior official involved the procurement exercise said.

On Sunday, the State police obstructed 16 lorries coming from Yadgir, Sindhanur, Manvi and other areas with paddy load at Chandapur in Makthal mandal of Narayanpet district. They were on way to rice mills at Miryalguda and on the outskirts of Hyderabad with fabricated way bills. A few days back, three more vehicles coming from Karnataka with paddy load were also apprehended by the police.

Officials stated that seven check-posts were set-up in the border areas in Gadwal and Narayanpet district for the purpose of stopping paddy flow from neighbouring AP and Karnataka. However, the traders were taking routes which are out of focus of such inspection to bring their paddy stocks and sell it here at support price.