Finance Minister T. Harish Rao has directed officials to get ready for paddy procurement. Procurement centers can be started tomorrow itself. depending upon the requirement, he said.
Participating in a review meeting held here on Monday over procurement and cultivation of crops, Mr. Harish Rao said the crop was expected to come to harvest after Dasara and at some places like Chegunta crop was already drying up. He said that State-wide paddy was sown in 54 lakh acres while it was 79,200 acres in the district. Noting that some 6,000 procurement centers are being established, he underlined the need for more centers in the district. Officials told the Minister that the number of centers are being doubled to 130 for paddy procurement.
The Minister directed the officials to get ready with required gunny bags and tarpaulins at the centers. He was informed that 700 tarpaulins had already been ordered. He directed the officials to create awareness among farmers to limit the moisture content below 17 % so that paddy can be procured without delay and payment would be made within three days.
Referring to procurement of cotton, Mr. Harish Rao said that the crop cultivation has increased to 3.75 lakh acres in the district.
MLA Ch. Kranthi Kiran suggested that more vehicles be deployed to transport paddy and to speed up the process of unloading at rice mills.
Cotton Corporation of India (CCI) official, Amarnath Reddy, said that 16 ginning mills will procure cotton in addition to five market yards. He has anticipated the problem of moisture and warehouse. He said that due to global and local conditions already procured cotton could not be cleared from warehouses and hence they need space to stock that was procured last year. He said that the CCI can purchase cotton only if moisture content is between 8% and 12 %. The Minister directed the officials to create awareness among farmers in this regard.
Mr. Harish Rao expressed serious concern over slow progress of work on rythu vedikas and directed officials to complete them within deadline of Dasara. He has warned of imposing huge penalties against those who could not complete them by Dasara. He said that all rythu vedikas will be inaugurated by Dasara.
Collector M. Hanumantha Rao, MLA M. Bhupal Reddy, ZP Chairperson P. Manjusree and others were present.