Union Food Minister Piyush Goyal on Friday targeted the TRS, which is ruling Telangana, for “misleading” the farmers of the state over paddy procurement, saying it should fulfil its responsibility towards the peasants. He stressed the Centre has always been buying raw rice from Telangana as it does from Punjab. Replying to a query raised by TRS leader K Keshav Rao in the Rajya Sabha, the Union Minister said the Telangana government had given in writing that it will not supply parboiled rice but raw rice to the Food Corporation of India (FCI).
The FCI has entered into a memorandum of understanding with all states and asked them to procure parboiled rice as per local demand and the surplus grain be supplied raw to the central pool, he said.
Goyal said the Telangana chief minister has, however, recently written to the Centre and requested for paddy procurement in his state to be undertaken like in Punjab. “We have said that we procure rice from Telangana as we do in Punjab. Rice that we get from Punjab is as per the MoU and that grain can be sold and distributed across the country,” he said, adding the Centre cannot take such a variety of rice which is not largely consumed.
The minister reiterated that the FCI has been taking raw rice and not paddy from the states for the last many years. “Time and again they (Telangana government) are trying to mislead, especially through MPs. It is baseless, incorrect and far from the truth,” Goyal said. Asserting that the Central government will buy raw rice from Telangana, Goyal said farmers in the state however are being misled.
“It is important that the state government initiates a probe on this issue. The state government should be concerned about farmers and fulfil its responsibility,” he added.
Responding to a query by Sasmit Patra of the BJD on the procurement of surplus parboiled rice in Odisha, Goyal said the issue has been raised many times in the House and the government has taken a consistent stand. According to the MoU between FCI and states, the states can procure parboiled rice according to their requirement and the centre takes only raw rice, he said.
Asked if the Centre can facilitate the export of parboiled rice, the minister said it is not permitted due to the WTO conditions and it would welcome if states export via private trade.
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