Vijayawada, June 8 -- Andhra Pradesh Civil Supplies Minister Nadendla Manohar on Monday said the state government has procured 1.29 crore metric tonnes of paddy worth Rs 30,361 crore from 17.97 lakh farmers during the last two years.
Addressing a press conference at the Secretariat in Amaravati, the minister said the government had prioritised farmers' interests and adopted technology-driven systems to make paddy procurement more transparent and efficient.
He claimed that Andhra Pradesh was the first state to introduce WhatsApp-based services for paddy procurement, through which 4.35 lakh metric tonnes of paddy were purchased from over 40,000 farmers.
Manohar said 90 per cent of payments were made within 24 hours of procurement, while th...