Telangana CM KCR willing, but FCI blocks sanna biyyam bonus

HYDERABAD: The State government is unlikely to announce any bonus for ‘sanna biyyam’, even though several farmers resorted to agitations at many places in the State demanding a minimum support price (MSP) of Rs 2,500 per quintal for the crop.

The State Cabinet, which met on Friday, discussed at length the possibility of paying the bonuses to farmers and the agitations across the State. However, the officials concerned expressed their inability to make payments, stating that conditions mandated by the Food Corporation of India (FCI) would not allow the State government to pay even a single rupee over and above Rs 1,888 per quintal for the super fine variety of paddy.

“Though Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao is willing to pay the bonus, officials informed him that the FCI norms would not allow it,” sources in the Civil Supplies department told Express on Monday.
 In fact, in the Cabinet meeting, the Chief Minister reportedly felt that when the State government was providing so much financial assistance to farmers, then it would be able to pay the bonus too.

According to sources, the FCI would take only 20 lakh tonnes of paddy out of the 70 to 80 lakh tonnes expected to be produced in the State. 

However, the payment of bonuses is not interrupting the procurement of paddy in the State. “So far, we have procured 8.5 lakh tonnes of paddy, which includes 1.6 lakh tonnes of fine variety at Rs 1,888 per quintal. The procurement is as per our target till date,” said a source.