Hyderabad, Dec. 12 -- Telangana agriculture minister Thummala Nageshwar Rao has announced the disbursement of Rs 588 crore for the procurement of maize.

The agriculture minister said that the amount will be deposited in the bank accounts of farmers Friday onwards. Rao added that all arrangements have been completed to transfer the amount directly to the accounts of 55,904 farmers who supplied their produce to government procurement centres.

Despite receiving no support from the Centre, Telangana has taken up maize procurement to ensure farmers do not incur losses, he said. So far, Telangana has procured 2.45 lakh metric tonnes of maize.

In a statement, Tummala said the government is committed to safeguarding farmers' interests and will...