7,248 rice procurement centers will be set up for Kharif, confirmed Minister N Uttam Kumar

HYDERABAD: The Cabinet sub-committee on rice procurement will submit its report to chief minister A Revanth Reddy on Thursday. The report, which contains recommendations on various issues related to rice procurement for the 2024-2025 kharif season, will be discussed at the cabinet meeting scheduled for October 26.

Civil Supplies Minister N Uttam Kumar Reddy announced this on Wednesday after chairing a meeting with public representatives from erstwhile Nizamabad district at Civil Supplies Bhavan. The meeting was attended by Industries Minister and Cabinet Sub-Committee member D. Sridhar Babu and others.

A total of 7,248 rice procurement centers will be opened, of which 2,539 are already operational, Uttam said. He said these PPCs would be equipped with necessary infrastructure including moisture meters, weighing scales, tarpaulins, paddy cleaners, dryers, husk removers and dial gauges to identify ‘sannarakam’ paddy. Sufficient gunny bags were also available at the PPCs, he said.

Uttam stated that the Cabinet Sub-Committee, chaired by Deputy Prime Minister Mallu Bhatti Vikramarka, has been tasked to study and make recommendations on a number of issues surrounding rice procurement, including millers’ bank guarantee or deposit, milling charges, the cost of upgrading sanna biyyam (10% broken rice) for distribution under programs such as the MDM, hostels and ICDS. The role of the agriculture department in the purchase of sannarakam paddy, storage of 10 LMTs of paddy in intermediate warehouses of SWC/AMC, and loss of sewerage during storage of paddy. The committee has held several meetings with stakeholders and is finalizing its recommendations.

During Wednesday’s meeting, discussions focused on various issues including bank guarantees, milling charges and storage capacity in Nizamabad district.