FCI may provide relief to paddy farmers: BJP

By Our Special Correspondent

HYDERABAD, OCT. 25.The Food Corporation of India (FCI) is likely to provide relief to paddy farmers in Andhra Pradesh by transhipping accumulated rice stocks lying in its godowns and relaxing norms for procurement, according to the Bharatiya Janata Party.

An assurance to this effect was reportedly given by the Union Minister for Food and Civil Supplies, Mr. Shanta Kumar, to the Union Minister of State for Urban Development, Mr. B. Dattatreya, when the latter called on him to represent the plight of paddy farmers owing to the unremunerative prices for their produce.

The BJP spokespersons, Mr. G. Kishen Reddy, and Mr. Parakala Prabhakar, said Mr. Dattatreya had informed them that the FCI had offered to ship the stocks from its overflowing godowns in a phased manner over the next three months and create space for paddy arrivals from next month onwards. It would send about nine lakh tonnes of boiled rice to Kerala and ordinary rice to the Northern States. More than six lakh tonnes of rice belonging to Karnataka and Tamil Nadu and lying in FCI godowns in AP would also be shipped out.

They told reporters here on Tuesday that the most significant outcome of Mr. Dattatreya's meeting with Mr. Shanta Kumar was the FCI's consent for purchasing rice with 15 per cent moisture content from millers. Earlier, it had fixed a 14 per cent ceiling and was implementing it strictly causing discontent among the farmers.

This decision would create a favourable sentiment among the farmers. Once the FCI began purchasing stocks with 15 per cent moisture content from the millers, the latter would hasten the process of procurement from the farmers.

They recalled that the last year too the FCI had fixed 14 per cent as the ceiling for moisture content for rice. However, under pressure from the State Government, it gave a `one-time relaxation' and procured rice with 15 per cent moisture content.

The BJP leaders quoted Mr. Dattatreya as saying that the Centre had agreed in principle to supply rice to pink card holders at Rs. 10 a kg, against Rs. 11.30 a kg now.

Meanwhile, Mr. N. Ramchander Rao, Convenor of the BJP's State Legal Cell, announced that the first State conference of tthe cell would be held here on October 28. It would be inaugurated by the BJP president, Mr. Bangaru Laxman.

The conference would discuss problems pertaining to women and examine the adequacy of existing laws to contain atrocities on women, dowry deaths and harassment. It would also deliberate on the role of advocates and their social responsibility and on the need to amend the Evidence Act in view of introduction of the Information Act.

The BJP leaders complimented Koneru Humpy from the State for winning the World Under-14 chess championship in Spain.

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