Minister Uttam Reddy hits out at Harish Rao, rebuts allegations on paddy procurement

The information shared by Irrigation Minister N. Uttam Kumar Reddy revealed that the Telangana authorities had procured 43.1 lakh metric tonnes of paddy during the ongoing Rabi 2024–25 season, up to May 12. | Photo Credit: NAGARA GOPAL

HYDERABAD

Minister for Civil Supplies and Irrigation N. Uttam Kumar Reddy connected Tuesday deed backmost astatine erstwhile curate and Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) person T. Harish Rao connected the latter’s allegations implicit paddy procurement and cited authoritative statistic asking him to halt ‘daily run of falsehoods’.

In a statement, Mr. Uttam Kumar Reddy stated that determination was a crisp summation successful paddy procurement during the existent Rabi season. He stated that the authorities had procured 43.1 lakh tonnes of paddy arsenic connected May 12.

The information shared by the Minister revealed that the Telangana authorities had procured 43.1 lakh metric tonnes (LMTs) of paddy during the ongoing Rabi 2024–25 season, up to May 12. As connected the aforesaid time past year, the Rabi procurement was 29.88 lakh tonnes and a twelvemonth earlier (2022-23) it was lone 19.62 lakh tonnes.

The statistic indicated astir 44% leap implicit past year’s procurement and much than 120% erstwhile compared to 2022-23, reflecting the existent administration’s proactive efforts, the Minister said.

The Minister stated that the Congress authorities had opened much procurement centres and streamlined operations to payment farmers directly. Timely procurement had brought alleviation to paddy cultivators crossed Telangana arsenic the authorities was ensuring Minimum Support Price (MSP) and besides paying ₹500 bonus per quintal for good varieties of paddy.

He highlighted the State’s record-breaking paddy accumulation successful 2024-25 Kharif/Vanakalam season, erstwhile 153.5 lakh tonnes of paddy was produced successful 66.7 lakh acres, portion the ongoing Rabi/Yasangi harvest covered 60.14 lakh acres with the output estimated to beryllium astir 129 lakh tonnes — accumulation of implicit 280 lakh tonnes successful a year.

Meanwhile, sources stated that astir 61.45% of the planned procurement (70.13 lakh tonnes) was completed truthful acold by opening 8,245 procurement centres. Of the 43.1 lakh tonnes procured truthful far, 27.75 lakh tonnes was of communal varieties and 15.35 lakh tonnes of good varieties.

The worth of paddy procured truthful acold was ₹9,999.36 crore with 6.58 lakh farmers selling their produce. The farmers were made payments of ₹6,671 crore truthful far, including ₹767 crore paid arsenic bonus to good varieties.

Published - May 13, 2025 09:24 p.m. IST