Hyderabad: Telangana’s Minister for Irrigation and Civil Supplies N. Uttam Kumar Reddy on Thursday, April 9, wrote to Union Minister Pralhad Joshi (Food and Public distribution) demanding the centre to address issues that have lead to the southern state dealing with excess stocks of rice.
In a letter to the Union Minister, Uttam Kumar Reddy formally placed three specific demands before the Union government to address the mismatch between the state’s “booming” paddy production and the Centre’s “shrinking” procurement allocations.
“He requested reallocation of 5 LMT boiled rice target for Rabi 2024-25 by reducing the FCI raw rice target. Currently, 8.45 LMT of rice is yet to be delivered. The original deadline of 28 February, 28, 2026 has already passed, and the state has sought a 60-day extension,” stated the Telangana Civil Supplies minister in his letter.
He also added that Telangana paddy’s superior grain characteristics and lower moisture levels make it ideal for boiled (parboiled) rice conversion. “Rice millers have agreed in principle to supply with only 5% brokens, offering a practical solution,” stated Uttam Kumar. He also sought enhancement of the boiled rice target by 20.00 LMT for the entire KMS 2025-26 (covering both Kharif and Rabi seasons).
“He also stressed the need for further extension of two months for Rabi 2024-25 deliveries. This is necessitated by pending physical verification of Kharif paddy stocks and the need for additional processing time,” said Uttam Kumar, according to a press release from his office.
Telangana witnessed a rapid surge in paddy production: Uttam
The Telangana Civil Supplies minister said that under the Congress government, the state has witnessed a rapid surge in paddy production in both Kharif and Rabi seasons. Data shared in his letter to the Centre shows a declining trend in the percentage of boiled rice delivered to the Food Corporation of India (FCI,) dropping to as low as 66.78% in 2024-25, despite consistent procurement efforts, he added.
“The state procures paddy on behalf of the Government of India under the Decentralised Procurement Scheme to ensure Minimum Support Price (MSP) to farmers and prevent distress sales. However, the Centre’s policy of reducing Custom Milled Rice (CMR) and boiled rice targets has left Telangana struggling with excess stocks, storage costs, milling expenses, and interest liabilities,” asserted Uttam Kumar.
He also emphasised that continued procurement is essential to safeguard lakhs of farmers and that the state cannot indefinitely bear the financial strain of excess paddy without adequate central support in the form of higher boiled rice allocations and timely extensions.
