‘₹500 bonus for fine rice as most prefer it over coarse’
The All India Kisan Congress state president S Anvesh Reddy announced a 500 bonus for fine variety rice in Telangana, stating a preference shift among locals. The Congress government aims to supply fine rice to ration card holders through fair price shops. Reddy countered BRS leaders’ accusations, claiming they’re politicizing the issue. BRS leaders allege the Congress government’s failure to extend the bonus to coarse rice amounts to cheating farmers.
Hyderabad: All India Kisan Congress state president S Anvesh Reddy on Wednesday said the new Congress govt has announced 500 bonus for fine variety rice as a majority of people in Telangana have stopped eating coarse rice and are preferring fine rice. “The Congress govt has decided to supply fine variety rice even to lakhs of ration card holders through fair price shops.
Presently, the production of fine rice is less than the 24 lakh metric tonnes needed for public distribution. To produce the fine rice in the state itself and avoid purchasing it from other states, the Congress govt has announced a 500 bonus to encourage farmers to cultivate the fine varieties,” he said. Reddy claimed that the BRS leaders are intentionally trying to mislead and scare the farmers by politicising the fine rice issue. “They should ask the farmers whether they get higher prices from millers and market for fine rice or coarse varieties before making allegations. The coarse rice being supplied through ration shops is being re-sold by the white ration card holders, who are then purchasing fine rice in the market at a higher price for self-consumption,” he said.
On their part, the BRS leaders are asserting that the Congress had promised 500 bonus to paddy but is now extending it to only fine variety rice and not coarse variety, which is nothing but cheating the farmers.
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