Minister Tummala raises maize procurement limit, flags cotton purchase issues
Hyderabad: Telangana Agriculture Minister Tummala Nageswara Rao on Tuesday directed Markfed to increase the maize procurement cap from 18.5 to 25 quintals per acre. He said the revision responds to higher crop yields and farmer requests.
The state government has planned 214 maize procurement centres. So far, 125 are active and have procured 23,131 metric tonnes. Tummala instructed officials to open the remaining centres immediately. He confirmed that the state would procure maize worth ₹2,500 crore, as market prices remain low and the Centre has not extended any help.
Cotton procurement hurdles: Minister seeks CCI action
Earlier in the day, Tummala held a review meeting with the Telangana State Cotton Association and the Marketing Department. The association reported that CCI’s L1, L2, and L3 allotment policy limits procurement to a few ginning mills. As a result, several others have been forced to stop operations.
Tummala urged CCI CMD Lalit Kumar Gupta to lift these restrictions and begin purchases at all approved mills within two days. He also flagged issues with cotton quality. Due to recent rains, moisture levels have exceeded the 12% limit, causing CCI to reject stocks. This has led to losses for many farmers.
Calling the 7-quintal-per-acre cap unfair, Tummala asked CCI to revise the rule. He also appealed to Union Ministers Bandi Sanjay and G. Kishan Reddy to intervene.
Soil Health Cards under Rythu Nestham
As part of the Rythu Nestham program, the Minister launched the Soil Health Card distribution in Nalgonda and Ranga Reddy districts. The cards are based on 1.55 lakh soil test results from 32 mandals.
Each report checks 12 soil properties. Tummala said this will help farmers use the right amount of fertilizer, save on costs, and improve yields. Scientists from the Agricultural University will support farmers in using the data for better crop planning.
