Telangana procured 60 LMT paddy so far, 60% of India’s total procurement: Uttam

Paddy procurement has crossed 60 Lakh Metric Tonnes (LMT) till date in Telangana compared to about 24 LMT in Andhra Pradesh, 11 to 12 LMT in Tamil Nadu, 3 LMT in Maharashtra, and nearly 2 LMT in Kerala.

“Today, nearly 60% 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% of the country’s total Yasangi paddy procurement,” said the Civil Supplies Minister N Uttam Kumar Reddy.

Telangana Civil Supplies Minister N. Uttam Kumar Reddy spoke on the quantity of paddy procured by few States in Rabi 2025-26, including Telangana
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“Yet the BJP and BRS are hell-bent on spreading false information misleading the people,” the Minister said addressing a press conference along with Agriculture Minister Tummala Nageswara Rao, Transport Minister Ponnam Prabhakar and Minister for Minority Welfare, Mohammed Azharuddin, held at the State Secretariat in Hyderabad on Friday (May 29, 2026).

Telangana Civil Supplies Minister N. Uttam Kumar Reddy spoke on the quantity of paddy procured in Telangana in Rabi 2025-26
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Telangana procured 60 LMT paddy, Centre agrees to procure up to 52 LMT

The Civil Supplies Minister said Telangana was number one State in supplying rice to the Food Corporation of India (FCI) under the Central Pool mechanism. The Centre has agreed to procure only up to 52 LMT from Telangana though the State had already crossed the 60 LMT mark.

“Every year and every crop season, rice production in Telangana is growing. Yet, the quantity of rice being accepted by the Centre through FCI is being reduced. The Chief Minister and I have repeatedly raised this issue with the Union Government,” he said.

Telangana Civil Supplies Minister N. Uttam Kumar Reddy spoke on the drop in the quantity of paddy procured from Telangana
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Estimated production of 141 LMT paddy on 64.36 lakh acres

The Minister said paddy cultivation during Yasangi 2025-26 covered 64.36 lakh acres, resulting in an estimated production of 141 lakh metric tonnes. To ensure smooth procurement, the State Government established 8,575 procurement centres, deployed nearly 13,000 transport vehicles, and mobilised over two lakh personnel for procurement, transportation and logistics operations.

Minimum Support Price (MSP) payments amounting to ₹11,050 crore have already been credited directly into farmers’ bank accounts. The Minister said that during the current 2025-26 season, both Kharif and Yasangi crop cycles, farmer payments and procurement costs involved over ₹39,300 crore.

10,214 MT rain-soaked paddy transported to boiled rice mills

Referring to recent unseasonal rains, Mr. Reddy said the government had acted swiftly to protect farmers from losses. Special arrangements enabled the transportation of 10,214 metric tonnes of rain-soaked paddy to boiled rice mills, ensuring that affected farmers received MSP payments without hardship.

Ministers Tummala Nageswara Rao and Ponnam Prabhakar strongly criticised BJP and BRS leaders for what he described as their “politically motivated campaign.” The BJP should appreciate the scale of procurement, transportation, payments and logistical mobilisation undertaken by Telangana as it was unprecedented. No State government in independent India has carried out procurement operations of this magnitude.

“If BJP leaders are genuinely concerned about farmers, they should prevail upon the Union Government to enhance Telangana’s procurement allocation and FCI acceptance targets instead of indulging in political criticism,” Mr. Rao said.