Telangana to tap into global and interstate export markets to address paddy procurement issues

To reduce over-reliance on central agencies for procurement of paddy, Telangana — which saw record rice production in the recently closed Yasangi (Rabi) — plans to provide incentives to promote rice exports.

Civil Supplies Minister N. Uttam Kumar Reddy said on Monday (June 29) that the move is aimed at tapping global and interstate markets for the benefit of the state’s farmers and millers.

The statement was made weeks after farmers in the state were alarmed by the slow pace of paddy procurement in the recently concluded Yasangi season – when 81 thousand metric tonnes of paddy was bought in the state. The total production in Yasangi and Kharif (Vanakalam) state was more than 152 LMT. And paddy consumption in the state is 36 LMT per annum, making it a rice surplus state. The state has transferred ₹19,303 crore directly to farmers’ bank accounts for purchase for the Rabi season, he said.

The minister said that the paddy soup procured by the Food Corporation of India was not meant for export and that Telangana needed to explore new markets outside the state as well as outside the country. “We are going to come up with a new initiative to move ahead with exports,” he said at the launch of KCP Nutri multivitamin rice range in Hyderabad.

Entrepreneurs have been urged to plan sales not only in Telangana but aggressively target markets outside the state. Telangana had already marked the beginning of rice exports to other countries last year. In March 2025, 12,000 MT of rice was exported to the Philippines.

Published – 29 Jun 2026 21:19 IST