HYDERABAD: Former Minister and BRS leader Harish Rao strongly criticised the Congress government for its negligence in paddy procurement, accusing it of failing farmers across Telangana.
During his visit to the paddy procurement centre at Palamakula village in Nangunur mandal, Siddipet district, Harish Rao alleged that the government’s failure to establish adequate procurement centres in districts like Khammam, Nalgonda, and Suryapet had forced farmers to sell their produce to middlemen. He pointed out that while the minimum support price (MSP) was supposed to be ₹2,320 per quintal, farmers were being compelled to sell at just ₹2,000 to ₹2,100.
He said that fear of untimely rains and hailstorms had driven farmers to sell paddy directly from their fields at lower prices. Harish Rao criticised the Congress government, citing last year’s Vanakalam season where the government had promised to procure 1.53 lakh metric tonnes of paddy but ended up purchasing only 52,000 metric tonnes. He added that the remaining 90,000 metric tonnes were left unprocured, meaning only one-third of the expected paddy was bought, while two-thirds were sold by farmers at lower prices.
Harish Rao remarked that the same negligence was now visible during the Yasangi (rabi) season as well. He described the Congress government as “anti-farmer,” pointing out that it had failed to deliver on its loan waiver promises, only benefiting half the farmers, and had not fully implemented the Rythu Bandhu scheme for the Yasangi season, covering only two to three acres per farmer.
He further stated that untimely rains and storms had damaged crops over three to four lakh acres across Telangana. He demanded that the government provide ₹20,000 per acre as input subsidy and urged district collectors to immediately compile reports to assist affected farmers.
Harish Rao also expressed anger that farmers who sold their paddy at the Palamakula procurement centre had not received payment even after a week. He criticised Minister Uttam Kumar Reddy for promising that payments would be credited within 48 hours but failing to deliver. Harish Rao also raised concerns over the poor quality of gunny bags, which were causing hardship for labourers, and alleged that discrepancies in weighing were leading to a two-kilogram reduction per quintal.
He demanded that the government take immediate action to resolve the problems faced by farmers, including timely procurement, proper payments, and compensation for crop losses.
వడ్ల కొనుగోలులో తీవ్ర నిర్లక్ష్యం ప్రదర్శిస్తున్న కాంగ్రెస్ ప్రభుత్వం – మాజీ మంత్రి @BRSHarish మండిపాటు
సిద్దిపేట జిల్లా నంగునూరు మండలం పాలమాకుల గ్రామంలోని వడ్ల కొనుగోలు కేంద్రాన్ని సందర్శించిన మాజీ మంత్రి హరీష్ రావు గారు.
ఈ సందర్బంగా మాట్లాడుతూ..
ఖమ్మం, నల్గొండ, సూర్యాపేట… pic.twitter.com/tusZb0lmJX
— Office of Harish Rao (@HarishRaoOffice) April 25, 2025
