Amaravati, May 12 (PTI) Andhra Pradesh Civil Supplies Minister Nadendla Manohar on Tuesday said the state government will soon hold discussions with the Centre to find a permanent solution to the recurring gunny bag scarcity during paddy procurement seasons.
The minister said the state has achieved a record paddy procurement during the ongoing Rabi season, adding that the Centre’s permission to procure boiled rice also benefited farmers cultivating the Bondalu variety of paddy.
“We are exploring a permanent solution to the recurring gunny bag issue and will soon hold discussions with the Central government on the matter,” Manohar said in an official press release.
He said that there is no issue in the procurement of Bondalu variety paddy, and the facility given for the procurement of boiled rice will also benefit farmers cultivating this variety.
He said the government targeted procurement of 27 lakh tonnes of paddy during the current Rabi season, of which 19.7 lakh tonnes have already been procured so far.
The minister noted that Rs 4,600 crore has already been credited into the bank accounts of 1.9 lakh farmers within 24 hours, for the paddy procured.
He said procurement during the current Rabi season is 18 per cent higher compared to last year and 57 per cent higher than procurement made during the previous YSRCP government’s tenure between 2019 and 2024.
Highlighting issues in the NTR district, the Janasena leader said the extensive cultivation of non-priority paddy varieties such as 1010 and PR 126 resulted in high broken rice percentage.
He noted that while ordinary paddy varieties usually produce up to 25 per cent broken rice, the 1010 and PR 126 varieties generated nearly 50 per cent broken rice this season.
The minister said the government is still procuring these varieties to avoid disappointing farmers, while awareness programmes will be conducted with the agriculture department to discourage their cultivation in future seasons.
He said procurement of boiled rice and acceptance of up to 10 per cent broken rice helped thousands of farmers during the ongoing season.
Highlighting district-wise procurement growth, Manohar said procurement in Nellore district increased from 36,600 tonnes last year to 75,000 tonnes this year.
He added that procurement in East Godavari district rose from over three lakh metric tonnes to nearly 4.7 lakh tonnes, while West Godavari district crossed 6.2 lakh tonnes this season.
The minister said 8.9 crore gunny bags were arranged and nearly 18,000 vehicles transporting paddy were fitted with Global Positioning System (GPS) for monitoring.
He noted that the government also adopted a 1:3 bank guarantee system to prevent inconvenience to small rice mills during procurement operations.
On the LPG supply, the Minister said strict action is being taken against distributors indulging in irregularities and arbitrary practices in some regions.
He said that while around 1.8 lakh gas cylinder bookings are received every day, nearly 1.8 lakh cylinders are being delivered daily across the state.
The minister also said that oil companies have assured the government that gas cylinders would be delivered within four days of booking to clear pending backlogs in rural areas.
He further said there is no dry-out situation at petrol bunks anywhere in the state, and sufficient fuel stocks for 21 days are currently available.
Manohar said the state government is holding regular discussions with oil companies and continuously monitoring fuel availability to ensure an uninterrupted supply. PTI MS ADB
This report is auto-generated from PTI news service. ThePrint holds no responsibility for its content.