Govt. to credit kharif instalment of Rythu Bharosa from June 30

The State Government has decided to start crediting the Vaanakalam (Kharif) instalment of Rythu Bharosa from June 30.

Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy will formally launch the crediting process at a public meeting in Madhira of Khammam district on June 30. The assured amount of ₹6,000 per acre will be credited into the accounts of farmers over the next few days.

The State Council of Ministers took a decision on the date for crediting the amount during its informal meeting here on Thursday. Government announced that the ₹500 a quintal bonus would be given for seven varieties of fine rice — BPT 5204, RNR 15048, HMT, Jai Sriram, KNM 1638, WGL 44, KNM 7715 — and requested farmers to opt for these varieties as they command good demand in the national and international markets.

Agriculture Minister Tummala Nageswara Rao reminded the likely impact of El Nino on rainfall this year and advised farmers to select varieties of crops after checking the rainfall. Farmers were advised to take up sowing after ensuring that there was rainfall of at least 7 mm twice lest they would be forced to take up sowing again.

Civil Supplies Minister N. Uttam Kumar Reddy said that the State had procured 80 lakh metric tonnes of paddy during Rabi, which was a record in the country. The Centre, however, did not procure the anticipated percentage of the produce, which could cause hardships to the State Government. The Centre should purchase the entire stock produced in Telangana and the State would abide by the Central Government’s guidelines.

The Cabinet resolved to forthwith follow the guidelines to be issued by the Centre on the variety of crops and MSP fixed for it. At the same time, the Government has decided to mount pressure on the Centre to purchase the entire farmers’ produce through its agencies such as FCI, CCI and Nafed.

A team of Ministers would visit the national capital and meet the Union Ministers concerned to convince them about the need to purchase the entire farmers’ produce. The Government had requested the BJP MPs including Union Ministers from Telangana to extend their cooperation in enuring that the Centre purchases the entire produce.

“The State is only a facilitator. It is for the Centre to purchase the entire commodity from farmers, but the agencies appointed by the Centre are not doing so,” Mr. Uttam Kumar Reddy said. The State would not hesitate to launch an agitation, if need be, to convince the Centre for purchasing the farmers’ produce from Telangana.

The State had requested the Centre to release the quantum of urea and fertilizer assured to Telangana at the earliest and ensure that maximum quantity of the urea produced from Ramagundam unit was allotted. Though the Centre had assured two lakh metric tonnes of urea or fertilizers every month to Telangana, the State did not receive even one lakh metric tonne a month.

“Allotment of fertilizer produced in Ramagundam to Telangana will reduce transportation cost and avoid scope for shortages,” Mr. Nageswara Rao said.

Replying to queries, Mr. Uttam Kumar Reddy dismissed BRS’ criticism on the government’s ‘failure’ to purchase crops produced by farmers. “Congress Government had spent close to ₹1 lakh crore in the past two and a half years for procurement of paddy and other crops. This is against the ₹1.2 lakh crore spent during the entire 10 year rule of the BRS,” he said.