HYDERABAD: Irrigation and Civil Supplies Minister N Uttam Kumar Reddy on Friday said Telangana has emerged as the undisputed national leader in Yasangi (Rabi) paddy procurement, with the state procuring over 60 lakh metric tonnes of paddy so far this season.
Addressing a press conference at the Secretariat, along with Agriculture Minister Thummala Nageswara Rao, Transport and BC Welfare Minister Ponnam Prabhakar, Public Enterprises and Minority Welfare Minister Mohammed Azharuddin, MPs and senior officials, Uttam said the state’s contribution is expected to increase to nearly 75 per cent by the end of the procurement season, making Telangana the backbone of India’s food grain procurement system.
The minister stated that Telangana had already procured 60 LMT of paddy, far ahead of other states, including Andhra Pradesh with about 24 LMT, Tamil Nadu with 11–12 LMT, Maharashtra with 3 LMT and Kerala with nearly 2 LMT. He added that Telangana continues to remain the number one state in supplying rice to the Food Corporation of India under the central pool mechanism.
Uttam pointed out that although the Centre fixed a procurement ceiling of 52 LMT for Telangana, the state had already surpassed the target by procuring over 60 LMT of paddy.
The minister further said the scale of procurement reflected the government’s commitment towards protecting farmers’ interests and supporting record production levels.