Harish Rao exposes double standards of BJP on paddy procurement

Hyderabad: Scaling up the attack on the Centre for imposing restrictions on paddy procurement, Finance Minister T Harish Rao exposed the double standards of the BJP leadership. He stated that while the Centre was refusing to purchase paddy procured by the State by paying more than Minimum Support Price (MSP), Union Minister G Kishan Reddy and other BJP leaders were demanding that the State government should give incentive for fine paddy varieties.

Harish Rao who launched the cotton procurement centre of the Food Corporation of India (FCI) at Gajwel market yard on Friday, dared Kishan Reddy to make the Centre withdraw its letter written to the States imposing restrictions on paddy procurement. He released the Centre’s letter to the media and blamed it for making the State government helpless in paying remunerative price to farmers for paddy.

“On September 17, the Centre wrote a letter to all the States making it clear that it will not procure paddy and rice from the States which procure them on payment of remunerative price more than the MSP fixed by it. Due to the Centre’s policies, the State government is unable to pay remunerative price and support our farmers,” he said.

Citing the Centre’s letter, the Finance Minister ridiculed Union Minister of State for Home G Kishan Reddy for double standards. He said while the Centre issued a letter imposing restrictions on paddy purchase and its pricing, Kishan Reddy who is the Union Minister in the same government was trying to blame the State government for it. He pointed out that total paddy yield during the current Vaanakalam season was about 87.84 lakh tonnes and the total consumption in the State was only 26 lakh tonnes.

“Our production is three times more than our consumption. If the Centre refuses to purchase the excess yield, what will be the fate of farmers? How can the State government alone procure such huge quantity if we pay a better price than MSP?” he questioned.

The Centre has announced Rs 1,888 per quintal paddy as Minimum Support Price (MSP). Though the State government is ready to pay more than MSP, the Centre through the Food Corporation of India issued guidelines restricting payment of any additional price other than MSP. Chief Minister K Chandrashekhar Rao had recently declared that the Telangana State government was ready to pay more than MSP to farmers for their paddy crop. He assured that the State government will come up with an action plan to ensure remunerative prices to farmers despite the Centre’s restrictions.

Telangana State Forest Development Corporation chairman Vanteru Pratap Reddy, elected representatives and district authorities attended the ceremony.

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