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With rice stocks overflowing and rabi produce beginning to arrive, the Andhra Pradesh Government has given its nod to export boiled rice to other States, besides allowing export of raw rice for a limited period of two months. While it put no conditions on export of boiled rice, the Government said it would monitor price situation during the two-month permission given to export of raw rice.
At a review meeting held on Wednesday, Mr N Kiran Kumar Reddy, the Chief Minister, asked officials to prepare procurement plan and godown space to ensure Minimum Support Price for farmers. He would discuss the issue with Union Government on Thursday in Delhi.
With almost all of the storage capacity in State filled up by buffer stocks, farmers and Members of Parliament had been asking the Government to allow farmers to sell the produce outside of Andhra Pradesh.
Keeping view of criticism that millers were not giving MSP to farmers, the Chief Minister asked the officials to protect the interests of farmers. “No one should be allowed to take advantage of the market situation. The Food Corporation of India, Civil Supplies Department, Markefed and Indira Kranthi Patham should work in tandem to see that the farmers get the MSP,” he said.
“If officials certify that farmers are given MSP without verifying it on the ground level, we will take stringent action,” he said.
The Chief Minister also directed the FCI to monitor the procurement and godown space availability in districts and see to it that that there are no complaints from the farmers.
The total production of rice during the year 2010-11 is expected to be 140.65 lakh tonnes, an increase of 32.27 lakh tonnes over the production last year. FCI, State agencies such as Civil Supplies Corporation and IKP groups opened 1,187 purchase centres.
“To prevent distress sale by the farmers, the paddy offered by farmers at MSP to the IKP groups may be allowed to be kept on farmers' account without charging any rent for three months or till payment is made to them,” a statement by Chief Minister's Office said.
The Chief Minister wanted the Railways to allot more rakes to the FCI during May and June for movement of rice.
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