Telangana procures record 80 LMT paddy, seeks revised target and CMR extension
New Delhi, June 23
Telangana Government has requested for a revision in the Rabi 2025-26 paddy procurement target and an extension of the Custom Milled Rice delivery period for Rabi 2024-25 and Kharif 2025-26, according to a letter by N. Uttam Kumar Reddy, Telangana Ministe r for Irrigation & CAD and Food & Civil Supplies.
Reddy noted the state has recorded its highest-ever paddy procurement, with 80.09 lakh metric tonnes (LMTs) procured during Rabi 2025-26 so far, and the process is still underway.
"The KMS 2025-26 (Kharif & Rabi) witnessed a historic 152 LMTs of paddy procurement, which is highest in Telangana & undivided Andhra Pradesh so far," he added.
Reddy further said, "Based on the paddy production estimates for Rabi 2025-26, the Telangana Government projected procurement of around 90 LMTs of paddy and submitted the estimates to the Government of India. However, the Government of India fixed the procurement target at 35 LMTs of rice, equivalent to 51.47 LMTs of paddy."
Apart from this the State Government has procured 80.09 LMTs of paddy (as on date) despite significant operational and logistical challenges, as per the letter.
The minister said Telangana continued procuring paddy at the MSP and in line with the Centre's Fair Average Quality (FAQ) norms despite operational challenges, in order to safeguard farmers' interests. He noted that 80.09 LMT of paddy has already been procured, with another 0.15-0.20 LMT expected from late-harvesting districts. Reddy also pointed out that despite rising paddy production driven by improved farming practices, expanded irrigation and continued support to agriculture, the Centre has fixed relatively lower procurement targets for Telangana over the past two seasons and the current Rabi season.
"The procurement target fixed by the Government of India and procurement by state above the Gol target has imposed a substantial financial burden on the State exchequer," the letter said.
The Minister highlighted the procurement operations were undertaken under "exceptionally demanding conditions, including severe heatwave conditions, acute shortage of hamalies at Procurement Centres and mill points, limited storage capacity due to the bumper Kharif 2025-26 procurement and carryover stocks from previous seasons, disruptions in fuel availability, shortage of transportation vehicles owing to concurrent maize arrivals, a compressed procurement window with peak daily arrivals exceeding 2.00 LMTs, and unseasonal rains accompanied by thunderstorms."
— ANI
Reader Comments
This is impressive! 152 LMTs across Kharif and Rabi is huge. I'm curious though—how does this compare to other states' procurement? And is the CMR extension really necessary, or is it just a way to shift the financial burden? Would love to see more data on storage capacity and logistics.
As a farmer from Warangal, I can tell you the heatwave this year was brutal. But the government did open extra procurement centers in our mandal, which helped. However, the target mismatch is real—why fix 35 LMT rice when we're producing double that? This creates unnecessary stress for everyone. Kya baat hai, Centre ko dekhna hoga. 🌾
Interesting article! Telangana's agricultural growth is remarkable. The mention of "hamalies" shortage (laborers) is a real issue—it highlights how MSP-driven procurement needs better infrastructure planning. Also, unseasonal rains and thunderstorms during harvest? That's climate change hitting hard. Hope the Centre relents on the target revision.
Record procurement is great, but let's not ignore the financial burden on the state. Telangana is essentially subsidizing the Centre's target shortfall. Also, with carryover stocks from previous seasons, storage is a nightmare—I've seen farmers selling at lower rates because of lack of space. The system needs a complete overhaul, not just extensions. 🤷♀️
As someone who works in agri-logistics, I can vouch for the "compressed procurement window" issue. 2
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