Telangana Govt ready to spend over Rs 15,000 cr for paddy procurement : Minister

The Telangana Government is prepared to spend more than Rs 15,000 crore to ensure the smooth and timely procurement of paddy during this Rabi season, in what is being described as one of the largest procurement operations in the country's history.

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Irrigation and Civil Supplies Minister Capt. N Uttam Kumar Reddy along with Agriculture Minister Tummala Nageshwar Rao, who held a high-level video conference with all District Collectors here on Wednesday, termed the paddy procurement programme, the most important and prestigious initiative of the government, for the next 15 to 20 days.

With a record Rabi cultivation spread across 54.89 lakh acres and an estimated output of 127 lakh metric tonnes (LMTs), the state government has planned to procure nearly 70 LMTs of paddy through an extensive network of 8,381 procurement centres established across all districts, Uttam said.

"This is the government's most sensitive and high-stakes programme right now. Besides safeguarding the interest of farmers, it is also linked to the government's prestige," he said.