Suryapet Collector Pushes for Accelerated Paddy Procurement Across District

Suryapet District Collector Tejas Nand Lal Pawar has issued directives to step up the pace of paddy procurement across the region while safeguarding farmer interests during the current harvest season.

In a series of facility inspections accompanied by Superintendent of Police K. Narasimha, the Collector visited multiple rice mills operating in the district. The visits included Balaji Rice Mill located in Munagala mandal, Sri Vasavi Matha Rice Mill in Kodad mandal, and Sri Dhanalakshmi Parboiled Rice Mill, also in Kodad mandal. The inspection team extended their tour to Ananthagiri mandal, where they examined operations at Padmavathi, Venkateswara, and Lakshmi rice mills.

During these visits, officials monitored paddy unloading procedures and reviewed the overall procurement framework in the district. Speaking to media representatives afterward, the Collector outlined the scale and progress of the season's operations.

District authorities project that approximately four lakh metric tonnes of paddy will arrive in Suryapet this season. Of this volume, procurement centres are anticipated to receive around 3.5 lakh metric tonnes. To date, officials have already acquired 2.10 lakh metric tonnes and transferred these stocks to rice mills. The Collector confirmed that arrangements are in place to handle the remaining volume, with plans to complete bagging operations and transport paddy to mills without unnecessary delays.

To streamline procurement processes, the Collector stated that coordination efforts are underway involving the Police, Revenue, and Transport departments. These agencies are working to position sufficient lorries at procurement centres, thereby reducing bottlenecks in the collection phase. Additional warehouse capacity has been identified to prevent congestion at rice mills, and the workforce handling paddy has been doubled to accelerate the loading and unloading process.

Coordination with rice mill operators in the Kodad and Huzurnagar regions has been prioritized to ensure uninterrupted paddy movement throughout the district. However, the Collector issued a stern warning to mill owners against unauthorized deductions from farmer produce under the guise of quality adjustments or wastage allowances. Any such violations will be subject to enforcement action.

The Collector also cautioned millers against breaching established procurement protocols, noting that Civil Supplies and Revenue department personnel would maintain ongoing surveillance at both mills and procurement centres.

Officials attending the inspection included DSO Mohan Babu, RDO Suryanarayana, Munagala Tahsildar Saritha, Kodad Tahsildar Santosh Kiran, Ananthagiri Tahsildar Himabindu, and representatives from rice mill operations.