Telangana recordshighest paddy procurement in India

Hyderabad, May 29 : Minister for Irrigation and Civil Supplies N. Uttam Kumar Reddy has declared that Telangana is conducting what is arguably the most successful paddy procurement operation in the country, with procurement crossing 60 lakh metric tonnes (LMT) till date and the State emerging as the undisputed national leader in Yasangi (Rabi) paddy procurement. Addressing a news conference at the state secretariat along with Agriculture Minister Tummala Nageswara Rao, Transport, BC Welfare Minister Ponnam Prabhakar and Minister for Public Enterprises and Minority Welfare, Mohammed Azharuddin, Members of Parliament and senior officials, Uttam Kumar Reddy said Telangana has become the backbone of India’s food grain procurement system. “Today, nearly 60 per cent of all paddy procured in India during the ongoing Yasangi season has come from Telangana alone. By the time procurement operations conclude, Telangana is expected to account for nearly 75 per cent of the country’s total Yasangi paddy procurement,” he said. The Minister said Telangana has already procured 60 LMT of paddy, compared to about 24 LMT in Andhra Pradesh, 11- 12 LMT in Tamil Nadu, 3 LMT in Maharashtra, and nearly 2 LMT in Kerala. “Telangana is far ahead of every other state in paddy procurement. We are also the number one state in supplying rice to the Food Corporation of India under the Central Pool mechanism,” he added. Uttam Kumar Reddy pointed out that while the Central government had agreed to procure only up to 52 LMT from Telangana, the State had already crossed the 60 LMT mark. “The scale of procurement undertaken by Telangana has exceeded the Centre’s prescribed limit by 115 per cent. This reflects both the extraordinary production levels achieved by our farmers and the Congress government’s unwavering commitment to protecting farmer interests,” he said. The Minister said paddy cultivation during Yasangi 2025-26 covered 64.36 lakh acres, resulting in an estimated production of 141 lakh metric tonnes. He said procurement operations were being intensified further and would preferably be completed.