The Hindu : Andhra Pradesh News : Paddy procurement begins on an optimistic note

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Friday, Dec 14, 2007
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Andhra Pradesh

Andhra Pradesh

Paddy procurement begins on an optimistic note

G. Ravikiran

Bumper crop and dry weather prove to be a blessing for farmers

46 centres are identified for procurement
As of now, no complaints from farmers

GUDIVADA: A bumper crop coupled with dry weather has come as a blessing for paddy farmers and rice mill owners this season, even as paddy procurement by private mills has started on an optimistic note in Krishna district.

With the mill owners offering a good price, farmers are flocking to mills directly without bothering to sell their produce at the procurement centres opened by the Government. The district administration has identified 46 centres for procurement of paddy at the minimum support price (MSP). The centres will be managed under Indira Kranthi Patham (IKP), says a civil supplies official.

P.S.R. Das, general secretary of the Federation of Farmers’ Associations in Krishna district, says that farmers in the delta region sell their paddy mostly to select rice mills, where they have been bringing their produce for decades. “When prices are low, they look for alternatives. Some go for distress sale. As of now, there is no such thing. There is a good crop and the weather is also cooperative,” he points out.

Mr. Das says most of the paddy is still lying in heaps in the fields but the farmers who are in need of money have started bringing their produce for sale at mills.

Beehive of activity

Being a beehive of agriculture and rice mills, Gudivada has started witnessing a rise in arrival of trucks and tractor trolleys carrying huge loads of paddy to various rice mills in and around the bustling town.

Farmers bring their produce from distant places and even from other districts to this very important town in the heart of the delta. Nearly 300 tonnes paddy has begun arriving every day at Sri Venkata Padmavathi Model Rice Mill located on the outskirts of Gudivada. “In peak season, we get nearly 500 tonnes a day. Farmers are very happy on the price front. We are giving them more than the MSP rate. Based on quality, we are giving Rs. 825 to Rs. 840 a tonne,” says G. Kondala Rao, proprietor of Model Rice Mill.

Mr. Rao says that as per the estimates, paddy farmers have got a good yield of 30 bags an acre this year, which comes to around 22 quintals an acre.

There have been no rain during the cutting season this year and it has proved to be a real boon for paddy farmers, he adds.

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