The BJP has decided to start a series of protests in the Karimnagar Parliamentary constituency. The protests are in response to the delay in paddy procurement. On Monday, BJP members will submit requests to Mandal Revenue Officers (MROs) in the Karimnagar Parliament area as part of their protest.
Bandi Sanjay Kumar, Union Minister of State for Home Affairs, raised concerns about the issue on Sunday. He pointed out that it has been a month since the paddy harvest season began, but rice procurement has still not started.
The Karimnagar MP highlighted a gap between what the government promised and what is happening. The government said they would open 7,572 paddy procurement centres across the state, and 4,598 of these centres were supposed to be open already. However, he claims that no procurement has actually started. Farmers are now waiting for days with their paddy piled up. Many are even forced to leave their crops by the roadside, causing problems for both farmers and travelers.
Recent rains have made things worse. In several districts, the paddy has been soaked, damaging much of the harvest. Bandi Sanjay Kumar said that in the Karimnagar constituency, which includes places like Choppadandi, Sircilla, Manakondur, and Huzurabad, thousands of acres of paddy have been affected by water. Even the paddy at procurement centres has gotten wet.
Farmers are not only struggling to protect their crops, but also face difficulties selling them. The long delay in procurement is pushing farmers to sell their paddy to millers at low prices. Many farmers, out of frustration, are being forced to sell their crops at cheap rates.
Bandi Sanjay Kumar called for immediate action to start paddy procurement. He reminded the government of its election promise to buy every grain of paddy, regardless of its quality. He also pointed out that the government had promised a bonus of Rs 500 per quintal for all types of paddy, but this bonus is only being given for fine rice. He said this is unfair and urged the government to extend the bonus to all varieties of paddy.
In addition, the MP mentioned that a limit has been set on the bonus for fine rice, with restrictions on how much can be bought per acre. Farmers have complained about these restrictions, especially since some are producing up to 30 quintals per acre. Officials have also been given verbal instructions to introduce strict measures to check the quality of fine rice.
Considering all these challenges, Bandi Sanjay Kumar requested the government to allow the unrestricted purchase of all paddy varieties as promised and to extend the bonus to include coarse rice as well.
