Paddy Procurement: BJP fires failure salvo against Revanth govt

Hyderabad: BJP Telangana has charged that Chief Minister Revanth Reddy and his ministers have completely failed to monitor the situation at the procurement centres and alert the authorities to ensure that farmers receive fair prices for their hard-earned agricultural produce.

Addressing the media on Wednesday, BJP Kisan Morcha State President Kondapalli Sridhar Reddy stated that for some time now, Congress ministers and public representatives have been focused solely on photo opportunities, opening procurement centres without proper planning. They have not provided the necessary facilities for farmers at these centers. The state government is allegedly colluding with rice millers, which is causing significant injustice to farmers.

He said the central government announced the support price for paddy and covers all purchase costs. However, the state government is making it difficult for farmers to access the procurement centres, he said.

“Agriculture Minister Tummala Nageswara Rao has mentioned that he will write a letter to the Centre requesting the purchase of all agricultural products shortly. This raises the question: what is the role of the state government if the Centre handles all purchases? How many procurement centres has Tummala Nageswara Rao visited so far? We demand clarity on what facilities are being provided to farmers.”

The BJP leader said that people are exhausted from the anti-farmer policies of the KCR government, and the Congress government, which came to power with many promises, has failed to fulfill them. To date, the Congress government has not waived even 40 percent of farmer loans and has not implemented a comprehensive crop insurance scheme. Although the Centre is announcing support prices, the state government is doing a great disservice to farmers by colluding with millers, he added.

Farmers face a lack of tarpaulin sheets, gunny bags, manpower, and truck sheets. To make matters worse, millers are harassing farmers by imposing a cut of 5-10 kg per quintal of grain. The Congress government must take timely corrective measures to ensure justice for farmers in paddy procurement, said the BJP leader.