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Hyderabad: Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) Telangana President N Ramchander Rao has accused the state government of colluding with rice millers and forcing farmers to sell their paddy at a lower price.

Rao attended the inaugural ceremony of the training workshop for the party workers held in Thimmapur mandal of Kaimnagar district on Saturday, May 30.

Speaking on the sidelines of the workshop, he said that the rice millers have been deducting 10 kg per quintal paddy by having “prior understanding” with the state government.

Referring to BJP’s ‘Rythu Gosa- BJP Bharosa’ campaign, where its representatives have been inspecting various Paddy Procurement Centers (PPC), Rao said that even before the leaders could reach the PPCs, district collectors allegedly shifted the paddy to the rice mills.

“There is no uniformity in what the ministers are saying. While the civil supplies minister claims that 60 lakh tonne paddy has been procured, others are giving different numbers,” he said.

He criticised the state government for blaming the Centre for lapses in procurement. “The Central Government determines the paddy to be procured based on the indent given by the state governments. It reimburses the states for every expenditure incurred in the procurement process,” he noted.

He argued that blaming the Centre for the lack of maize procurement was unwarranted. The state should first procure the crop and then take up the matter with the Centre, rather than resorting to a blame game, he said.

Claiming to have visited a few procurement centers, Rao said paddy in PPCs and maize in market yards were lying there in large quantities. “Farmers are telling us something, and the state government is claiming something else,” he said.

Pointing out that large quantities of paddy and maize were damaged after being soaked in sudden rains, he said mango growers had also suffered losses as fruits fell from trees due to heavy rain accompanied by gusty winds.

He urged the state government to conduct an assessment of the crop damage and submit a detailed report.

Union Minister for Coal and Mines G Kishan Reddy said that while the farmers were sandwiched between the middlemen and rice millers, the ministers were shamelessly spending their time in the air-conditioned rooms.

“Centre has been procuring the maximum quantity of paddy from Telangana when compared to other states. The government had agreed to procure 52 lakh tonne paddy in the Rabi season, but the Congress government procured only 51 lakh tonne till now,” he said.