HYDERABAD: Though the Union government reduced Telangana’s paddy procurement target, the state set an all-time record in grain purchase, according to Civil Supplies and Irrigation Minister N Uttam Kumar Reddy.
Speaking to reporters here on Tuesday, along with ministers Adluri Laxman and Vakiti Srihari, he said: “Telangana procured 75 lakh tonnes of paddy during the current Yasangi (Rabi) season against the Centre’s approved target of 52 lakh tonnes. Around two lakh additional tonnes of paddy are likely to arrive at procurement centres in the next few days.”
The minister also said that the state government had borne an additional financial burden of about Rs 6,650 crore in the present Yasangi season alone to ensure that the minimum support price (MSP) is provided to farmers. “The Centre fixed a target of only 52 lakh tonnes. But we went ahead and procured 75 lakh tonnes to protect our farmers,” he said.
“Telangana accounted for more than 61% of the total Yasangi paddy procured in the country,” he said.
Uttam further said that 12,557 tonnes of rain-affected paddy had also been purchased at MSP and shifted to rice mills within 12 hours to produce boiled rice. “Total Kharif and Rabi procurement in the current KMS 2025–26 season had already crossed 147 lakh tonnes, making it the highest-ever paddy procurement in the history of Telangana and even the combined Andhra Pradesh,” he said.