Centre only announces MSP, buys less than 30% crops: CM Revanth Reddy amid Telangana procurement row

Hyderabad: Telangana Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy on Monday accused the Central government of limiting itself to announcing Minimum Support Prices (MSP) for crops while failing to follow through on actual procurement.

Speaking at a meeting on Monday with a state CPM delegation, he said the Centre was procuring less than 30 percent of harvested crops such as paddy and maize, leaving the state government to step in and purchase every grain cultivated by farmers. The meeting also covered the progress of the Musi Rejuvenation Project and education reforms aimed at improving access to quality schooling for economically weaker sections. Revanth Reddy urged Left party leaders to mount pressure on the Centre over its procurement failures.

Separately, procurement operations at several centres were disrupted in the afternoon due to a shortage of hamalis (loaders) attributed to their absence during West Bengal elections compounded by prevailing heatwave conditions.

Stating that he was continuously reviewing the procurement operations, the Chief Minister said that the state government was already providing Rs 500 bonus to fine variety paddy per quintal and also MSP to Maize to provide relief to the farmers.

Revanth Reddy's remarks around procurement of farm produce comes amidst pressure being mounted by opposition BRS and also BJP.

BRS Working President KT Rama Rao recently launched a scathing attack on the Congress government over the deepening crop procurement crisis in Telangana and accused the Chief Minister of completely failing the farming community. In a strongly-worded open letter addressed to the Chief Minister, KTR recently alleged that the Congress government has pushed Telangana farmers into unprecedented distress through administrative negligence, failed procurement management, and anti-farmer policies.

Expressing serious concern over the worsening situation at procurement centres across the state, KTR said farmers who once cultivated with confidence and dignity during the BRS government are today being forced onto the streets in despair. He stated that Telangana’s farming community, which believed decades of suffering had finally ended under the leadership of the former Chief Minister , has once again been dragged back into uncertainty and humiliation under Congress rule.

Highlighting the scale of the crisis, KTR said farmers across Telangana have been waiting helplessly at procurement centres for nearly two months with no proper procurement taking place. He noted that protests, dharnas, and road blockades are erupting daily across the state as angry farmers demand justice.

“There is not a single farmer in Telangana who has not taken to the streets. There is not a single highway where protests and road blockades have not taken place,” KTR said in the letter.

KTR expressed anguish that several farmers have reportedly collapsed and died near procurement centres due to heatstroke, stress, and prolonged waiting. He criticised the Chief Minister for allegedly failing to visit even a single procurement centre despite the ongoing humanitarian crisis.

On Monday a BJP delegation of Telangana MLAs, MLCs and MPs visited procurement centres to stand with farmers and understand the hardships they are facing. “Recently, our Kisan Morcha State President met the Chief Secretary and clearly urged the government to take advance precautions, warning that farmers would suffer losses if proper procurement arrangements were not made.

However, despite repeated warnings, this government failed to act. Today, heaps of paddy are lying unattended at procurement centres across Telangana. Farmers are being forced to wait for nearly ten days, hoping that a lorry will arrive and their grain will finally be lifted. The paddy brought by farmers for sale is lying unsold due to the lack of tarpaulins, gunny bags and other basic arrangements. As a result, farmers are suffering severely,” said BJP Telangana president, N Ramachander Rao.