Sun Nov 24 14:14:18 UTC 2024: **Telangana Minister Reports Record Paddy Procurement**

HYDERABAD, November 24, 2024 – Telangana’s Minister for Civil Supplies and Irrigation, N. Uttam Kumar Reddy, announced a record paddy procurement exceeding expectations this Kharif season. The Civil Supplies Corporation has already purchased 21.73 lakh tonnes of paddy, valued at ₹5,040 crore, including a ₹283.25 crore bonus for fine varieties. This surpasses last year’s figures by a significant margin.

Minister Reddy highlighted that 7,990 out of 8,191 planned procurement centers are operational, exceeding the 5,543 centers open at the same time last year. Payments to farmers are being credited within three days of purchase, with ₹2,760.22 crore already disbursed. This compares favorably to ₹2,414.23 crore paid by the same date last year.

The minister assured farmers that procurement will continue until January 10th, urging them against distress sales. Of the total procurement, 16.06 lakh tonnes are common varieties from 2,71,655 farmers, and 5.67 lakh tonnes are fine varieties from 78,686 farmers. While ₹283.25 crore is allocated as a bonus for fine varieties, ₹8.17 crore has been released so far.

The state anticipates a total paddy production of around 153 lakh tonnes this Kharif season, cultivated by 40 lakh farmers across 66.07 lakh acres. Minister Reddy’s announcement underscores a successful procurement drive exceeding last year’s performance in both quantity and timely payment to farmers.

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