Uttam orders foolproof plan for Rs.18,250-crore paddy procurement

metro india news  I hyderabad

Telangana Civil Supplies Minister N. Uttam Kumar Reddy has directed officials to make foolproof arrangements for the State’s Kharif paddy procurement operation, estimated at Rs.18,250 crore, and ensure that farmers face no delays at purchase centres or in receiving payments.

Reviewing preparations for the Kharif Marketing Season 2026-27 with officials, Uttam said the State was preparing to procure 65 lakh metric tonnes (LMT) of paddy.

A total of 8,283 Paddy Purchase Centres (PPCs) will be established, comprising 3,180 IKP centres, 4,372 PACS centres and 731 other centres. The Minister directed officials to ensure that all centres are operational by October 1, ahead of procurement commencing on October 15.

The Centre has fixed the Minimum Support Price (MSP) at Rs.2,461 per quintal for Grade-A paddy and Rs.2,441 for common paddy. Telangana will provide an additional Rs.500-per-quintal bonus for seven preferred varieties , BPT-5204, RNR-15048, KNM-1638, Jaisriram, HMT-Sona, WGL-44 and KNM-7715.

Uttam said the varieties were selected after studying domestic and international market demand, with the objective of helping farmers secure better prices. He called for a long-term strategy to develop an export market for Telangana rice, saying exports could generate stronger demand while reducing the financial burden associated with disposing of procured grain at prices below procurement costs.

The State estimates Kharif paddy production at 119.57 LMT from 57.70 lakh acres, with TGSCSCL planning to procure 65 LMT, including 45 LMT of Sanna paddy and 20 LMT of Doddu paddy.

With peak arrivals expected in November and December at 24.72 LMT and 25.32 LMT respectively, the Minister directed officials to make advance arrangements for storage, gunny bags, transportation, hamalies and equipment.

He specifically instructed officials to ensure that transport contractors bidding for procurement operations had adequate access to the required number of lorries. GPS-based vehicle tracking and strengthened border check-posts were also ordered to prevent unauthorised inflow of paddy from neighbouring States.

Uttam directed districts to prepare storage plans covering AMC yards, SWC and CWC godowns, Rythu Vedikas and other permissible facilities. He stressed transparent weighing and quality testing, uninterrupted lifting, quick grievance redressal and timely payments.