Tamil Nadu and Telangana bolster food security amid El Niño concerns

Indian states Tamil Nadu and Telangana are strengthening food security measures to mitigate potential shortages caused by the anticipated impact of El Niño.

In Tamil Nadu, Food and Civil Supplies Minister P. Venkataramanan announced a target to procure 8 lakh tonnes of paddy, with 3 lakh tonnes already secured. The state aims to maintain sufficient rice stocks to meet Public Distribution System requirements and protect against drought-induced scarcity. The government has previously stocked 63 lakh tonnes of rice and maintains enough supply to meet ration shop needs for two months.

In Telangana, the state government reports that current rice stocks are sufficient to meet the needs of 3.42 crore people dependent on the Public Distribution System until September 2027. As of mid-October 2026, approximately 9.64 lakh tonnes of rice were held in buffer godowns. Officials are also evaluating the possibility of including other essential commodities, such as wheat flour, red gram, and sugar, in the distribution system to protect households from potential price increases during periods of hardship.