BRS Leader Harish Rao Charges Congress with Betraying Farmers on Procurement Commitments

Hyderabad: T. Harish Rao, a BRS MLA and former minister, has launched a scathing attack on the Congress administration in Telangana, claiming it has abandoned its electoral commitments to the farming community by dragging its feet on crop procurement.

In correspondence addressed to Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy, Harish Rao contended that Congress had made sweeping assurances to farmers during the election campaign, only to shelve these pledges upon assuming office.

The BRS politician pointed to the paradox of paddy procurement remaining incomplete despite substantial quantities of grain having arrived at procurement facilities throughout the state. He further highlighted that procurement centre staff and rice mill operators continued imposing deductions attributed to moisture content and material loss.

Harish Rao underscored the plight of farmers enduring prolonged waits under harsh conditions and demanded that the government immediately disburse the promised Rs.500 per quintal incentive for premium paddy alongside regular procurement payments.

The situation extends beyond paddy. Harish Rao noted that sunflower procurement has stalled, with cultivators stranded at procurement centres for approximately three weeks. Government procurement has managed to absorb merely a quarter of the sunflower harvest, leaving nearly 1.20 lakh quintals unsold in the market.

Chickpea farmers face their own crisis, as procurement operations have come to a standstill at government centres. Consequently, cultivators have resorted to selling their output to private buyers at Rs.3,000 to Rs.4,000 per quintal—well below the government-set support price of Rs.5,875 per quintal.

The BRS leader also flagged delays in establishing jowar procurement infrastructure. Additionally, maize farmers are incurring financial losses by offloading their produce at approximately Rs.2,500 per quintal, significantly lower than the minimum support price of Rs.3,371.

A particular grievance concerns the procurement ceiling of 26.50 quintals per acre for maize. Harish Rao questioned how farmers with yields of 30 to 40 quintals per acre could dispose of surplus production, and demanded the government lift this restriction.

Harish Rao called on the administration to purchase all agricultural commodities at the stipulated minimum support prices without further delays. He cautioned that the BRS would mobilize sustained farmer demonstrations if the government continues to fall short on these commitments.