Telangana has potential to export up to 60 lakh rice annually: Uttam Kumar Reddy

Telangana Government had signed an agreement with Philippines to export surplus rice and some more Southeast Asia countries could also import rice from the State. The image is used for representative purposes only.
| Photo Credit: NAGARA GOPAL

HYDERABAD

There is a potential to export at least 50 lakh tonnes to 60 lakh tonnes of rice from Telangana every year after keeping aside the stocks for Custom Milled Rice (CMR) to the Food Corporation of India (60 lakh tonnes), Public Distribution System (PDS) needs in the State and consumption by people, Minister for Civil Supplies and Irrigation N. Uttam Kumar Reddy has said.

Speaking at a meeting on the rice export policy organised at the Professor Jayashankar Telangana Agricultural University (PJTAU), Mr. Reddy said Telangana rose as the top State in the country in the matter of paddy and rice production with the hard work of the farming community and supportive policies of the State government. The State was expected to produce about 280 lakh tonnes (2.8 crore tonnes) of paddy in the 2025-26 farm year.

Minister for Civil Supplies N. Uttam Kumar Reddy speaking at a meet on rice export policy organised in PJTAU in Hyderabad on Tuesday.
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With a view to encourage production of fine varieties of paddy which have demand in the market, the minister said the State government was providing ₹500 per quintal bonus (support) to farmers on sale of their produce to the procurement centres run by the government or its agencies. As part of exploring export opportunities, the State Government had signed an agreement with Philippines to export surplus rice and some more Southeast Asia countries could also import rice from the State.

He stated that there was heavy demand for common varieties of paddy such as MTU-1010 and IR-64, which were being cultivated widely in the State as coarse varieties with high yield. He asked the scientists of the university to encourage farmers to go for direct sowing of rice, alternative day wetting system and lesser use of chemical fertilizers.

Modern rice mill at univ

The minister announced that the government would give incentives to farmers who cultivate paddy varieties having export potential. Authorities of PJTAU were directed to establish a modern rice mill in the university as a demo to the farming community and also to train youth to grow as entrepreneurs to set up rice mills purely aimed at exports.

Vice Chancellor of the university Aldas Janaiah said Philippines would be a perennial rice importing country as it was not in a position to achieve self reliance due to limited land resource. President of the All India Rice Millers Association B. Krishna Rao, officials of the FCI, APEDA, Civil Supplies Department, Professor of Practice Samarendu Mohanty and others also spoke.