Special cell to monitor paddy procurement: Collector

PNS|Eluru

District Collector V Prasanna Venkatesh said that a procurement monitoring special cell is being set up to ensure that farmers do not face any difficulties in selling their paddy produce. A meeting was held with the presidents and secretaries of primary agricultural credit societies, rice millers, transport association and officials of various departments on purchase of kharif paddy produce at the Godavari meeting hall in the Collector’s office on Wednesday.

Speaking on the occasion, the Collector said that the purchase of paddy produce during the  kharif should be done strictly in accordance with the government regulations. Prasanna Venkatesh said “A special procurement monitoring cell will be set up for 2 months to ensure smooth procurement of paddy. Special officers have also been appointed for some mandals”.

The Collector directed the officials to make a sufficient number of gunny bags available in the PACS under every RBK, stating that it had  been decided to procure 3.8 lakh metric tonnes of paddy produce in the district from the farmers during the kharif. He said that district-wise monitoring would be done from the Chief Minister’s office every day regarding the purchase of paddy from farmers.

“The paddy produce should be purchased from the farmers in a transparent manner. In this regard, PACS, rice millers and transporters should work in coordination and bring reputation to the district”, he told the officials.As paddy harvesting has already begun in Unguturu constituency, the officials should start purchasing their produce, he told the officials.

Joint Collector P Arun Babu said that a solid action plan is being implemented for paddy procurement during  the Kharif.He said that if the paddy sample is brought to the RBKs, the moisture content should be measured there. The moisture content should be less than 17 percent. He said that the weighbridges had already been identified in each mandal.

He said that currently 50 lakh gunny bags are available at the rice millers and another 10 lakh at the Civil Supplies Department.Manju Bhargavi, District Manager of Civil Supplies, District Agriculture Officer Y Ramakrishna, District Cooperation Officer Praveena, ZP CEO K Ravikumar, DSO RSSS Raju, DRDA PD Vijaya Raju, Dwama PD D. Rambabu, Chairman, District Agriculture Advisory Board Vejju Venkateswara Rao, President and District Rice millers Association Alla Sateesh Choudhary were among those who were present.