Hyderabad: Telangana Irrigation and Civil Supplies Minister Capt. N. Uttam Kumar Reddy on Thursday urged the Centre to release pending dues and expand paddy procurement targets to support farmers in the state.
During Union Food Minister Prahlad Joshi’s visit to Nalgonda, Uttam presented a detailed list of demands. He requested an additional 10 lakh metric tonnes of boiled rice under KMS 2024–25 (rabi) and asked for extended timelines for Custom Milled Rice (CMR) deliveries 60 days for kharif and 120 days for rabi.
Pending dues, rail rakes, and storage dominate agenda
Uttam said Telangana was still awaiting ₹1,400 crore from previous procurement cycles. He also highlighted ₹343 crore in unpaid PMGKAY subsidy claims for 89,000 metric tonnes of rice. He urged the Centre to release both amounts without further delay.
Additionally, he asked for more railway rakes to speed up foodgrain evacuation from FCI godowns. He also sought 1 lakh metric tonnes of extra storage space in the Nalgonda FCI complex, citing growing crop volumes.
Telangana tops paddy production, seeks continued Centre support
The Minister said Telangana had emerged as the nation’s top paddy producer and procurer. This year, the kharif crop alone yielded 150 lakh metric tonnes. Of that, the State is procuring 80 lakh tonnes at a cost of ₹29,000 crore.
To handle the scale, the State opened 8,800 procurement centres. Uttam assured that no farmer would face distress sales.
Uttam cites reforms, calls for stronger Centre-State partnership
Reflecting on his time in Parliament, Uttam noted his work on civil supplies and ration policy. He said Telangana had moved away from outdated systems. Under the Congress Government, 3.31 crore people now receive 6 kg of fine rice per person monthly.
He credited these reforms for improving food security across the state. Thanking Prahlad Joshi for his cooperation, he urged the Centre to act on Telangana’s requests. Expanded procurement and better infrastructure, he said, are vital for both farmers and the public distribution system.