Fine rice variety cultivation goes up by 61% thanks to ₹500 bonus
The government’s ₹500 bonus for fine rice varieties has led to a 61% increase in their cultivation this season, while non-fine varieties dropped significantly. Total paddy cultivation this year stands at 66.77 lakh acres, with an expected yield of 153 lakh MTs, up from 146 lakh MTs last year. Procurement began slowly due to higher market prices but gained momentum in November.
With the government announcing ₹500 bonus for fine rice variety this season, its cultivation has increased by 61%, compared to the previous season. However, the other varieties, particularly non-fine variety rice, have seen a huge drop.
According to government sources, paddy cultivation in the rainy season (Kharif) this year is at 66.77 lakh acres with the expected grain yield likely to cross 153 lakh metric tonnes (MTs). During the same period last year, cultivation of paddy was recorded at 65.94 lakh acres with the yield being around 146 lakh MTs, an increase of 9 lakh MTs.
The change, however, has been farmers going for massive cultivation of fine rice varieties to take advantage of the ₹500 bonus per quintal of fine rice variety paddy in this procurement season.
Sources said that last year, 25.05 lakh acres (38%) of paddy cultivation area was of fine rice varieties and this has increased to 40.44 lakh acres, which is 61%. Similarly, the coarse variety or non-fine variety was cultivated in 40.89 lakh acres but this time the same varieties were cultivated in 26.33 lakh acres only.
The Civil Supplies Department has estimated that a total of 80 lakh MTs of grain will have to be procured this season. The government has opened 7,411 paddy procurement centres across the State, some of which were opened in the first week of October itself to procure those coming to the market early.
However, the procurement was less in the initial days as the price in the open market was higher than the Minimum Support Price (MSP), and farmers preferred to sell to traders outside the buying centres. Due to this, the rush of grain in the buying centres has reduced compared to the past, according to officials.
But, procurement picked up pace from the first week of November. CS Department officials said that they have procured 9.58 lakh MTs of grain from 1.41 lakh farmers till November 14 through the purchase centres.
Out of this, 7.49 lakh MTs are of non-fine variety and 2.09 lakh MTs of fine rice variety. The government has also expedited payments to farmers who have sold their grain.
Chief Minister Revanth Reddy also ordered the release of an additional ₹33 crore for payment of bonus for fine rice varieties. The government has taken adequate precautions so that farmers do not suffer at the purchase centres. The CM also issued clear instructions to officials to use ESMA, if millers and traders were harassing farmers.
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Source Link : The Hindu
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