Farmers are worried about paddy procurement during the Yasangi (Rabi) season, as the BJP government attempts political upmanship by putting the Telangana government in trouble.
The Union government is insisting on raw rice supply, as it did last year, despite Telangana’s request to allow boiled rice, citing the losses suffered due to milling and huge quantum of broken rice due to high temperatures during summer.
However, as in the past, the Telangana government is making plans to procure as much paddy as possible from farmers. Approximately 1.5 crore tonnes of paddy yield is expected during the Yasangi season, with the State government likely to procure 80-90 lakh tonnes of paddy.
A team of officials led by Civil Supplies Minister Gangula Kamalakar recently visited Delhi and discussed with the Food Ministry as well as the Food Corporation of India (FCI) over paddy procurement. Although the Centre has agreed to obtain all of the rice supplied by the State government, it has insisted that the entire stock be supplied as raw rice.
The decision by the Central Government comes as a relief to approximately 60 lakh farmers who are expecting to reap a bumper harvest in the Yasangi season. However, this will cause the State government to suffer a significant loss as it will be procuring entire paddy from farmers by paying Minimum Support Price of Rs 2,040 per tonne.
The Vaanakalam crop gives 66-68 kg of rice per 100 kg of paddy, whereas the Yasangi crop gives only 60-62, making it less remunerative for millers. As a result, the state government is forced to compensate millers to some extent, adding to the state’s burden.
“Though the Centre responded positively to procure 80 lakh tonnes of paddy or about 55-57 lakh tonnes of rice, it has said strict no to parboiled rice. Due to harsh temperature while harvesting, the grain turns brittle and yields lesser quantity of rice during Yasangi season compared to the Vaanakalam season,” an official explained.
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During the previous Yasangi season, the Union government caused similar problems with the procurement of parboiled rice, causing farmers to be concerned as well as the State government.
According to the FCI, it has surplus stocks of parboiled rice that can help the central pool to meet the demand from the consuming States over the next four years. But with the Centre deciding to extend the Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Ann Yojana (PMGKAY) scheme, there was a sudden demand for parboiled rice in several States following which the Centre asked Telangana to supply the pending stocks as parboiled rice.
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