HYDERABAD: Chief minister A Revanth Reddy on Saturday said the Congress govt will procure the entire paddy produce that farmers wish to sell. He warned that if the Centre fails to lift the procured paddy, it would be dumped in front of the residences of Union ministers, BJP MPs, and MLAs, as well as leaders of the BRS.The CM, during an interaction with the media at his camp office at MCR HRD Institute, said the Central govt cannot shirk its responsibility of procuring paddy and other crops after announcing the minimum support price (MSP). He added that the state govt would wait until June 12 for the Centre to act.He urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi to ensure that the Food Corporation of India lifts the paddy being procured by the state govt. He also said Union coal minister G Kishan Reddy should persuade the PM to intervene in the matter.He accused the BRS and BJP of attempting to mislead farmers with false claims for political gains.He alleged that while Kishan Reddy was defending the Centre’s decision to procure only 52 lakh metric tonnes of paddy from Telangana, former CM K Chandrashekar Rao had earlier discouraged paddy cultivation by telling farmers that growing paddy was equivalent to “hanging oneself.”The state govt, he said, has procured 62 lakh metric tonnes of paddy and will continue purchasing until the last grain brought by farmers is collected.Revanth stated that the state has procured around 20 lakh metric tonnes of maize, as production has reached nearly 30 lakh metric tonnes this season. However, he alleged that the Central govt was discriminating against Telangana in procurement. He claimed that while the Centre is procuring around 86% of agricultural produce from Punjab, 67% from Chhattisgarh, 65% from Haryana, and 52% from Odisha, it is procuring only about 38% from Telangana.The CM clarified that since the Centre fixes the MSP, it is also responsible for procuring the produce. He said the Telangana govt will purchase rain-soaked paddy, dry paddy, maize, and sorghum, and will also pay a ₹500 bonus per quintal for fine variety rice (“sanna biyyam”).
“I have only one thing to say to Kishan Reddy. It is your govt at the Centre that is refusing to procure paddy. Our govt in Telangana is purchasing every single grain. Compare our procurement with that of the Centre. Because the Centre is refusing procurement, farmers are facing distress. If this continues, we will dump the produce at your doorstep,” he warned.
