HYDERABAD: Telangana has emerged as the leading paddy-producing state in India, said Civil Supplies and Irrigation Minister N Uttam Kumar Reddy, with the government making extensive arrangements for the ongoing Kharif paddy procurement season.
On Wednesday, Uttam, along with Agriculture Minister Thummala Nageshwar Rao, chaired a video conference at the Secretariat with district collectors on procurement preparedness.
Addressing the meeting, Uttam said Telangana achieved a record paddy yield of 148.03 LMT, the highest ever in independent India. “This Kharif season marks a record in both cultivation and procurement. The upcoming operation will be the largest grain procurement ever undertaken by any state or country,” he said, instructing collectors to ensure farmers face no hardship.
The Civil Supplies department will set up 8,342 paddy procurement centres (PPCs), including 4,259 through Primary Agricultural Cooperative Societies (PACS), 3,517 through IKP groups, and 566 by other agencies. The state is estimated to procure 80 LMT of paddy, equally divided between 40 LMT of fine and 40 LMT of coarse varieties, cultivated over 66.8 lakh acres, with a total procurement value of around `23,000 crore.
Uttam credited the achievement to the farmer-friendly policies of Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy and Deputy Chief Minister Mallu Bhatti Vikramarka. “Telangana has become synonymous with agricultural progress, and we will continue to strengthen this position,” he said.