Wanaparthy, a district known for its large-scale paddy farming, is facing a serious issue. Paddy worth ₹510 crore from the 2022–2023 Rabi season is still stuck with local rice millers and has not been returned to the government.
During that season, the previous administration allocated 222,437 metric tonnes of auctioned paddy to 111 millers across the district. But only 5,587 metric tonnes have been given back. That leaves more than 216,850 metric tonnes still unaccounted for.
Worryingly, some millers have already sold this paddy, while only 20% have stored it in their mills or warehouses. The rest is at risk of spoiling. If the government doesn’t act quickly, nearly half of the remaining paddy could rot, resulting in a huge loss.
Officials from the Civil Supplies Department have not yet issued clear instructions on how to deal with this leftover stock. Instead, they are focusing their efforts on managing the newly harvested paddy, leaving the previous stock neglected.
The State Commissioner is aware of the pending paddy, but no concrete steps have been taken to retrieve it. This situation is not new. In past years, spoiled paddy was sold off cheaply to liquor factories, causing significant financial losses to the government.
If action isn’t taken soon, history may repeat itself. Authorities must urgently recover the pending paddy from all 111 millers to prevent further waste and protect public funds.
This issue highlights the need for better oversight and faster response from the government, especially from the Revenue and Civil Supplies departments. Ignoring the problem could turn a valuable crop into a total loss.
