Hans News Service Warangal

TheTelangana Rice Millers Association urged the State government to immediately address the problems faced by rice millers while paddy procurement continued at a rapid pace across Telangana.

Speaking to the media in Warangal on Saturday, Association president Padi Ganapathi Reddy appealed to Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy and cabinet ministers to prioritise the issues of rice millers during the cabinet meeting scheduled for the day.

He said that despite the government actively procuring paddy, rice millers were facing severe difficulties due to delayed payments, lack of adequate storage facilities and increasing transportation costs.

He stated that these issues were affecting the day-to-day operations of rice mills in several districts.

Ganapathi Reddy said the government had fixed a target of procuring 90 lakh metric tonnes of paddy during the current Rabi (Yasangi) season and established thousands of procurement centres across the State.

However, he alleged that the infrastructure and support systems required for millers had not been strengthened accordingly.

He warned that the fast pace of procurement was placing additional pressure on milling capacity and said that any disruption in the process could adversely affect both farmers and millers, leading to disturbances in the rice supply chain.

The Association demanded that the government waive the 25 per cent penalty imposed on rice millers along with the interest charged on it.

It also sought immediate clearance of pending bills, expansion of storage facilities and subsidies to support the milling sector.

Ganapathi Reddy further urged the government to introduce suitable amendments to the Custom Milling Rice (CMR) policy to reflect the practical difficulties faced by millers at the ground level.

He reiterated that resolving the issues of rice millers at the earliest was essential to ensure smooth procurement operations and protect the interests of farmers and all stakeholders connected to the rice industry.