Telangana Urges Centre to Increase Rabi 2025-26 Rice Procurement Target
Telangana officials have requested the Centre to increase the Rabi 2025-26 rice procurement target to 54.50 LMT following record-breaking agricultural output. The state is also seeking relief regarding the Rs 16,446 crore financial burden caused by procuring paddy beyond previously approved federal targets.
Highlights
- •Telangana has requested the Centre to increase the Rabi 2025-26 rice procurement target to 54.50 LMT.
- •State ministers N Uttam Kumar Reddy and Tummala Nageswara Rao met with Union Minister Pralhad Joshi to discuss the revision.
- •Cumulative procurement for the 2025-26 KMS season has hit a record-breaking 152 LMT.
- •The state highlighted an additional financial burden of Rs 16,446 crore incurred by exceeding federal procurement targets.
The state government of Telangana is actively pursuing a significant increase in rice procurement targets for the current Rabi 2025-26 season. Having achieved a record-breaking volume of paddy procurement, state officials are now urging the Central government to revise the existing target from 35 lakh metric tonnes (LMT) to 54.50 LMT to better accommodate the surplus yield produced by local farmers.
Ministers N Uttam Kumar Reddy and Tummala Nageswara Rao met with the Union Minister for Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution, Pralhad Joshi, in New Delhi this week. During these discussions, the state delegation emphasized the necessity of an upward revision. They also requested authorization to deliver the entire allocated quantity as boiled rice, explaining that the specific nature of Rabi paddy grown in Telangana is better suited for parboiled rice milling processes.
Addressing Procurement Challenges and Financial Burdens
The scale of recent agricultural output has been unprecedented. During the Rabi 2025-26 season alone, procurement has already hit 80.09 LMT and is projected to climb further as harvests conclude in late-season districts. When combined with the Kharif season, the cumulative procurement for the KMS 2025-26 period has reached 152 LMT, marking a historic high for the region, surpassing even the figures from the erstwhile united Andhra Pradesh.
Beyond the target revision, the state delegation raised concerns regarding logistics and infrastructure. They have requested an extension of the Custom Milled Rice (CMR) delivery schedule to ensure a more efficient flow of produce into Food Corporation of India warehouses. Officials noted that complications such as limited storage capacity, overlapping seasons, and a heavy influx of arrivals have hindered the smooth transition of grain into the central pool.
The state’s representatives also brought attention to the substantial fiscal impact caused by procuring quantities that exceed federal targets. Over the last three major cycles, Telangana has acquired 69.50 LMT of paddy above the sanctioned amounts set by the federal government. This additional effort has resulted in an extra financial burden of approximately Rs 16,446 crore on the state exchequer to cover the Minimum Support Price (MSP) requirements. The government is now seeking federal cooperation to mitigate these costs and streamline the procurement framework for the future, ensuring that the state's record-setting agricultural productivity is managed sustainably without placing an undue strain on regional resources.
