KCR announces MSP relief to jowar farmers

Hyderabad: After procuring paddy and maize at minimum support price (MSP), Chief Minister K. Chandrashekar Rao announced on Friday that the state government would purchase jowar (hybrid) from farmers at MSP during the ongoing rabi season. The move comes at a time when the farmers are severely impacted by unseasonal rains.

The CM appointed TS Markfed as the nodal agency for jowar procurement. The government will provide a bank guarantee to Markfed to borrow ₹220 crore from banks and financial institutions to procure jowar.

During a meeting with agriculture and Markfed officials in the Secretariat on Friday to finalise the rabi jowar procurement policy, the CM was informed that 65,494 tonnes of jowar output was expected in the state during rabi, with an average yield of 5.16 quintals per acre.

The CM directed officials to procure 100 per cent of the jowar produced in rabi at MSP and credit the amount to farmers' bank accounts within three days of procurement. Following the CM's instructions, agriculture secretary M. Raghunandan Rao issued orders on Friday directing the officials to take immediate steps for jowar procurement.