Hyderabad: Irrigation and civil supplies minister N Uttam Kumar Reddy on Saturday called for steps to explore and identify pockets of opportunity for exporting rice from Telangana and disposing of the stocks held by the civil supplies corporation after a record procurement of 72 lakh metric tonnes during the Kharif season.The minister held a high-level strategic review with senior scientists from Professor Jayashankar Telangana State Agricultural University (PJTSAU) and top officials of the civil supplies and agriculture departments. The meeting spent hours dissecting the problems and charting a multi-pronged plan to address the challenges being faced in the procurement and disposal of paddy and rice.
Uttam tasked university officials with providing suggestions to help the department prepare a draft policy to enable the govt to explore potential export markets, and to promote rice varieties that command both demand and better prices in the export market.He said the state must be represented in every overseas forum that deals with the export of rice. “We should organise a two-day meet, inviting representatives from countries keen on importing rice from the state. One more session with the representatives from the university and officials of the departments concerned will be held soon to brainstorm the scope for exporting rice by the state and also discuss policies for crop diversion,” Uttam said.Uttam said he would seek the participation of chief minister A Revanth Reddy and deputy chief minister Mallu Bhatti Vikramarka in the proposed session. Uttam, who inquired about procurement levels by the FCI from other paddy-producing states, stressed the need to scale up procurement targets being given to Telangana in view of the steep increase in paddy production year after year.The state’s paddy procurement crossed the 72 lakh metric tonnes mark this season against the Centre’s target of 50 LMT. The state govt spent Rs 19,500 crore on procurement and payment of bonuses, and another Rs 6,000 crore on storage and interest, taking the total close to Rs 25,500 crore. Uttam called for swift action to ensure the annual outgo on this head does not balloon further. He noted that global rice markets offer little immediate relief, with India heading for a record 160 million metric tonnes of rice in 2025-26, and Telangana contributing nearly 10 to 11% of national paddy output.The FCI is holding 67 million tonnes of rice equivalent. International white rice prices have fallen significantly since India lifted its export ban, from $650 to $350 per tonne for 5% broken rice. Kakinada FOB prices are hovering at $360 per tonne, translating to an ex-warehouse realisation of about Rs 29 per kg.
