Andhra Pradesh Minister for Civil Supplies, Food and Consumer Affairs Nadendla Manohar met Union Minister for Food, Public Distribution and Consumer Affairs Pralhad Joshi at Parliament House on Monday. Following the meeting, Manohar briefed the media, outlining crucial decisions and discussions that will shape the state's food procurement and distribution systems in the coming months.

The Union government has fixed a procurement target of 51 lakh metric tonnes (LMT) of paddy for Andhra Pradesh in the 2025-26 Kharif season. Manohar reported that the Andhra Pradesh Civil Supplies Corporation has already procured 17.37 LMT from 2.69 lakh farmers within just 25 days. Daily procurement has now touched nearly 90,000 MT, reflecting accelerated operations across the state.

The minister announced that Andhra Pradesh has successfully delivered 96,000 MT of 10% broken rice as CMR (Custom Milled Rice) in the last 15 days. He stated that all rice mills in the state are operating at full capacity. Manohar highlighted that Andhra Pradesh is the first state in India to introduce a QR code-based bag tracking system for the Midday Meal Scheme. Recognizing its success, the Centre is considering implementing the same system nationwide for CMR delivery from January 2026.

Union Minister Pralhad Joshi appreciated Andhra Pradesh for being the only state in the country to deliver CMR on time and lauded its effective rollout of the 10% broken rice CMR policy. To ensure uninterrupted CMR deliveries, the Centre has shown willingness to allocate additional Food Corporation of India (FCI) godowns in Andhra Pradesh. This move is expected to significantly strengthen the state’s storage capacity.

From January 2026, the Centre has agreed to release wheat and additional ragi to Andhra Pradesh. The state has already begun distributing ragi in North Andhra districts since August 2025, and as of today, 16,000 MT of ragi has been distributed. The Centre also approved the construction of steel silos under a Public-Private Partnership (PPP) model for paddy storage in Andhra Pradesh. These modern storage structures are expected to reduce post-harvest losses and improve grain quality significantly.

To enhance the Public Distribution System (PDS), the Union government has agreed to support the construction of new godowns across Andhra Pradesh. This will facilitate smoother grain movement, storage, and distribution under welfare schemes.

Speaking to reporters, Minister Nadendla Manohar described the meeting as highly productive, adding that the Centre’s support will greatly strengthen Andhra Pradesh’s procurement, storage, and distribution capacities. He emphasized that these collaborative efforts between the state and central government will ensure food security and timely support for millions of farmers across Andhra Pradesh.