A paddy procurement issue between the Food Corporation of India and the state of Telangana has taken a strong political turn.
After staging protests in Hyderabad against the BJP-ruled central government for its ‘Anti-Farmer stance,’ Telangana Chief Minister K. Chandrashekar Rao and his cabinet colleagues left to Delhi more than two days ago, and are still camping there to get a clear answer on whether the Telangana Paddy will be purchased or not.
What does the TRS seek?
Telangana government’s questions are related to the already produced Kharif crop and the upcoming Rabi crop.
The first question is whether the centre will procure the Kharif produce (parboiled rice), and the second is whether the farmers can grow at least raw rice in Rabi instead of the parboiled rice.
After all, this is what is cultivated in the lands here, said KCR in a recent press conference.
What stops the FCI from procurement?
The FCI says that the hot conditions in March will result in grains getting broken, and that is why the Telangana farmers usually opt for parboiled rice.
And Telangana does not consume parboiled rice. It is meant for the central pool. As it happens, the centre has reserves good enough for the next four years.
Hence they have signed papers with Telangana previously to the effect that the state will not sell them parboiled rice.
Parboiled rice is not being procured from Chhattisgarh either, the FCI says.
The Politicization
The issue boiled over right after the Huzurabad bypoll, where a bitterly contested election saw BJP deliver a shock defeat to the ruling TRS.
A fully charged BJP accuses the state government of inaction in buying the farmers’ produce.
The Chief Minister accuses the BJP of double standards. While the centre refuses to buy the agricultural produce, the state BJP is asking the state government to buy the same, he said.
Unwilling to concede any more political points to the BJP, the CM personally shouldered the responsibility of getting the issue straightened out.
In a surprise move, Telangana CM KCR had also announced a compensation of Rs. 3 Lakh for every family that lost a member since the anti-farm laws protests began last year while demanding that the centre provide a compensation of Rs. 25 Lakh per family.
The timing of Mr. Rao’s announcement invited criticism from the state opposition parties who said that those who gave up their lives for the separate statehood still await compensation.
Central government’s reaction
Central Minister of Food and Public Distribution, Piyush Goyal, asked for specific data relating to the existing agricultural produce and the projections for the next crop, so he may be better equipped to take a call on what to do.