The Telangana government has urged the Centre to increase the state’s Kharif procurement target for 2025-26 to 53.6 lakh metric tonnes (LMT) of rice, equivalent to 80 LMT of paddy, in view of an expected bumper harvest. Civil Supplies Minister N. Uttam Kumar Reddy, in a letter to Union food minister Pralhad Joshi yesterday, said the Centre has approved only 36 LMT of rice, which is equal to 53.73 LMT of paddy, for the current kharif marketing season. He sought immediate intervention to enhance the quota.

Mr Reddy pointed out that paddy procurement in Telangana had grown exponentially, and the state had been taking up procurement operations on behalf of the Centre by availing bank loans and incurring heavy interest to protect farmers from distress sales. With favourable monsoon conditions this season, paddy production is estimated at 148.30 LMT. He said weakened export demand due to low international rice prices is likely to push more farmers to sell at procurement centres under MSP, necessitating a higher quota.