Eluru: Joint Collector P Dhatri Reddy said that paddy procurement target in Eluru district has been increased to 2.5 lakh metric tonnes as per the request of farmers.

She inspected the rain-soaked paddy sacks at the Gopinathapatnam Rythu Seva Kendra in Unguturu mandal on Sunday. She said the district administration is ready to purchase paddy from farmers in view of the unseasonal rains that occurred on Saturday and Sunday. She assured farmers not to worry and sell their harvested paddy at the nearest Rythu Seva Kendra.

When local farmers requested her to increase the target for purchasing paddy at Rythu Seva Kendra, the Joint Collector ordered the District Civil Supplies Manager to take necessary steps for the same. She said that so far 51,32,300 gunny bags have been supplied to farmers through Rythu Seva Kendras in the district and 2.05 lakh metric tons of paddy have been purchased so far.

The JC said that as per farmers’ request, 11.25 lakh gunny bags were required for the increased target of 0.45 lakh metric tons of paddy, but currently 8,95,410 gunny bags have been made available to the farmers at Rythu Seva Kendras. In accordance with the increased target for purchasing paddy, the Joint Collector ordered that when the staff working at Rythu Seva Kendras come to purchase paddy from farmers, they should register the truck sheet and send it to the rice mills without causing any inconvenience to the farmers. Similarly, she ordered the owners of all the rice mills in the district to be ready to purchase paddy from the farmers. District Civil Supplies Manager P Sivaramamurthy, District Agriculture Officer Habib Basha, District Cooperation Officer Srinivas, Tahsildar Ravikumar, several Agriculture department officials and farmers were present.