Hans News Service Hyderabad

ChiefSecretary Sanjay Jaju on Thursday directed officials to make robust arrangements for paddy procurement during the 2026-27 monsoon (Kharif) season and ensure farmers face no hardship.

Jaju, who chaired a coordination meeting with senior officials, said paddy was cultivated across around 57.7 lakh acres this season, with estimated production of 119.57 lakh metric tonnes. The government has formulated an action plan to procure around 65 lakh metric tonnes.

He said 8,283 grain procurement centres would be established in coordination with IKP, Primary Agricultural Cooperative Societies (PACS) and other agencies. As arrivals are expected to begin in October and peak in November, officials were told to complete arrangements well in advance.

The CS stressed the need to ensure adequate transport, hamalis, warehouses and storage capacity, besides providing essential infrastructure for farmers at procurement centres.

He directed officials to assign a unique identification number to every farmer visiting procurement centres and properly link Aadhaar details with the bank accounts used for payments.

Jaju called for close inter-departmental coordination to prevent delays in procurement, transportation, storage and payments, and directed officials to ensure transparent and speedy services to farmers.