Telangana leads India in rice procurement during Rabi season

Telangana Irrigation and Civil Supplies Minister N. Uttam Kumar Reddy announced that the state has purchased more than 60 lakh tonnes of paddy in the current Rabi (Yasangi) season, placing it at the top of all Indian states. He said the state's purchases account for roughly 60 % of the nation’s total rice procurement and could rise to 75 % once the process is complete.

The central government had initially agreed to buy up to 52 lakh tonnes from Telangana, but the state exceeded that target. To support the scheme, the state set up 8,575 procurement centres, deployed about 13 000 transport vehicles and mobilised over 200 000 staff for purchase, transport, payment and logistics. Direct transfers of Minimum Support Price to farmers totalled ₹11,050 crore, and the overall value of procurement and related farmer payments for the Kharif‑Mizuno seasons is projected to reach about ₹39,300 crore. Reddy highlighted additional measures such as diverting rain‑damaged grain to boiled‑rice mills to protect farmer incomes.