MSP for paddy: Collectors told to take remedial steps

By Our Special Correspondent

HYDERABAD, DEC. 3. In spite of the massive price support operations launched by the A. P. Government and the Food Corporation of India in the face of a glut, paddy farmers in several districts are not receiving the minimum support price (MSP) fixed by the Centre.

Market intelligence gathered by the Department of Marketing reveals that the efforts to ensure payment of MSP of Rs. 540 for Grade `A' and Rs. 510 for common variety of rice are ``less than satisfactory'' in almost all districts. Kurnool district is the only exception as farmers are getting Rs. 546 and Rs. 520 respectively for these two varieties.

A videoconference conducted by the Chief Secretary, Mr. P. V. Rao, on Sunday showed up the contradiction between the claims of district Collectors about payment of MSP and the information collected by the Marketing department from purchase centres in paddy-producing districts like East Godavari, West Godavari, Guntur and Nizamabad.

In East Godavari district for example, the Collector said farmers were getting Rs. 510 and Rs 550 a quintal for common and fine varieties but parallel reports obtained by the Government brought to light that the actual price paid was Rs. 517 and Rs. 490 a quintal respectively. Mr. Rao reminded Collectors that the average price paid must be based on 70 per cent of paddy procured and not arrived at randomly.

He was reviewing paddy procurement against the backdrop of the target of 55 lakh tonnes for procurement and transfer of fair average quality of paddy fixed for the current year and complaints of the FCI not opening the required number of procurement centres, turning away farmers due to lack of storage facilities and for meeting the quality specifications. The Chief Secretary said it was disappointing that even old rice was not getting beyond Rs. 520 a quintal in Guntur district when the MSP for new rice was Rs. 540.

Mr. Rao said the FCI had offered to play a proactive role in achieving the procurement target of 10 lakh tonnes each in December, January and February while the Railways had agreed to provide sufficient number of rakes for movement of rice and it was now up to Collectors to rise to the occasion. He directed the Joint Collector of Anantapur to ask Collector to speak to him why he was not attending the videoconference on this important subject on which the Chief Minister, Mr. N. Chandrababu Naidu, was ``straining every nerve'' in order to help the farmers.

The Chief Secretary said the Collectors must identify and acquire every inch of godown space in the public and private sector, including godowns of tobacco companies, sugar factories and an abandoned solvent extraction plant. The Commissioner of Civil Supplies, Mr. H. S. Brahma, asked the officials to make best efforts to reduce inflow of boiled rice (as the State was already burdened with 10 lakh tonnes of it) into godowns and take more raw rice.

He said the dispute whether MTU 1001 and certain other varieties should be treated as common or fine varieties had been referred to the Centre. Pending its decision, the officials should maintain a separate account for these varieties so that the differential amount could be paid to farmers later.

In districts such as Krishna where the moisture content in paddy is found to be as high as 18 per cent (against the revised ceiling of 15 per cent) due to light rain, the officials were asked to delay paddy arrivals till the desired dryness level was achieved. The Chief Secretary and FCI officials said the availability of railway rakes would not pose a problem for transporting rice from godowns.

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Section  : Southern States
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