Hyderabad: Accusing the Congress government in Telangana of “failing” to procure paddy during the current Rabi season, Union Coal Minister G Kishan Reddy on Saturday said the ruling party is trying to shift the blame onto the Centre.
He also asked Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy why the state government has not fulfilled the Congress’ election promise of providing Rs 500 bonus for 10 crops.
“Centre has agreed to purchase almost 53 Lakh Metric Tons (LMT). You have not completed that. Without completing the procurement as agreed between the Centre and the state, why do you blame the Centre? You are trying thrust your inefficiency on the Centre. Both Congress and earlier BRS are playing with the lives of farmers,” he told reporters here.
Reddy took exception to the ruling Congress leaders criticising the Centre for allegedly not procuring paddy from state as sought by them.
According to him, Telangana farmers waiting at agriculture market yards for their produce to be procured are have been left vulnerable to unseasonal rains and the attempts of intermediaries to purchase the produce at a low price.
Until a team of BJP MPs and MLAs conducted a tour of market yards during the last several days, the state government remained negligent over procurement.
He also alleged that the state government is securing inferior quality fine variety rice from other states and distributing it through PDS. The good quality fine rice produced in the state is being sent to other states at a higher price, he said.
“This deceiving of people has been going on since the previous BRS regime. They blame the central government… They start attacking Centre, BJP, BJP MPs even before procurement begins,” he said.
The state government has not been able to supply even gunny bags needed for procurement and also seeds of new varieties which are in demand, he said.
Claiming that there is no market for the coarse variety of rice produced in the state, he said the state government has not taken any action to deal with the situation.
For export of coarse variety, the rice should meet certain parametres, but the state government has not distributed the concerned seeds to farmers, he said.
“Without taking any measures for stepping up procurement, the Congress government is only focused on “commisions, contracts, land auctions, real estate business and land encroachments,” he alleged.
Asserting that pesticide-free rice needs to be produced for exporting to foreign countries, Reddy said the state government is not raising farmers’ awareness to reduce the use of pesticides though Prime Minister Narendra Modi has been emphasising on organic farming at various fora.
He expressed his willingness to help increase the quota of procurement by Centre from the state.
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