The below poverty line (BPL) households in the State who get subsidised rice under the public distribution system (PDS) are likely to be deprived of the commodity produced in the State later this year, thanks to truant monsoon which restricted cultivation of paddy to nearly half of the normal extent this kharif season.
The BPL ration cardholders in the State have been getting rice produced in the State from January 2013 under the concept of ‘mana biyyam’ (our rice or locally produce rice), introduced following reports of very poor quality of rice being supplied under PDS till then. The then combined Andhra Pradesh Government took a policy decision to supply only the rice produced in the State under PDS as reports of poor quality rice being issued under PDS poured-in from all parts of the State.
“The concept of ‘mana biyyam’ was introduced by taking up the matter of poor quality rice being supplied by the Food Corporation of India (FCI) with the Centre. The FCI was then issued instructions to supply rice procured as levy in the State to PDS here, instead of the rice produced in Northern States”, a senior government official who worked with the Civil Supplies Department in the past stated.
However, the cultivation of paddy this year has been worst-hit due to truant monsoon and production of paddy is being estimated to be the lowest in the past one decade. “It appears difficult that the paddy cultivation this season reaches even half of the normal extent of 10.59-lakh hectares since there is no water in any irrigation project except Kadem in Adilabad and the groundwater table has depleted alarmingly over 7 meters compared to the same period last year,” a top official of the Agriculture Department explained.
As a result, paddy cultivation under tube/open wells has also come down considerably and the yield is expected to be hit badly. The State government’s plans to procure paddy on a large-scale in the absence of levy procurement by the Centre from October 1 aside, it is being estimated that paddy production in the current kharif season could not even reach 15 lakh tonnes against over 28.5 lakh tonnes produced in the last kharif.
