Govt will purchase entire paddy produced in State: Minister Satyavathi Rathod

Mahbubabad: The State government will purchase the entire paddy produced by the Telangana farmers, Minister for Tribal Welfare Satyavathi Rathod asserted.

The minister, who made a surprise inspection to the paddy procurement centre at Sriramagiri under Nellikuduru mandal in Mahbubabad district on Wednesday, elicited information about the problems faced by the farmers.

Further, she tried to instill confidence among the farmers by assuring them of purchasing the paddy including the grain soaked in recent rains. She directed the officials not to create any problems to the farmers in the name of moisture content in the paddy.

Later, the minister along with the district collector K Shashanka held a review meeting with the officials in Mahbubabad.

Rathod directed the agriculture officials to encourage farmers to go for commercial crops instead of paddy. She also directed them to ensure the supply of fertilisers and pesticides, besides keeping a tab on spurious seed.

The minister said that the government spent Rs 4.5 lakh crore on agriculture in the last nine years.

“Telangana has become a seed bowl as well as rice bowl due to the pro-farmer measures taken by K Chandrasekhar Rao government. Despite the non-support of the Centre, the State government has been protecting the interests of the farmers by purchasing paddy,” Rathod said.

Mahabubabad MLA B Shankar Naik, Zilla parishad chairperson A Bindu, municipal chairman Palwai Rammohan Reddy, additional collector David, agriculture officer Chatru Naik, civil supplies district manager Krishnaveni and civil supplies officer Narasinga Rao were among others present.