Civil Supplies Minister N. Uttam Kumar Reddy, Agriculture Minister Tummala Nageswara Rao at the Global Rice Summit 2024, in Hyderabad on June 7, 2024.
| Photo Credit: RAMAKRISHNA G
The International Commodity Institute’s (ICI) world’s rice conference, to discuss technology and market for future food security, kicked off here in Hyderabad on Friday.
It witnessed hundreds of stakeholders, from farmers, researchers, seed companies, exporters and importers, to millers and other supply chain actors. The summit deliberates on concerns and innovative solutions to improve sustainability in production and efficiency.
Telangana, a leading paddy-producing State
“Telangana remains one of the leading paddy-producing States in the country. The State, as per last year’s records, saw 12 million acres under cultivation and paddy produced was about 26 million tonnes,” said Minister for Agriculture, Tummala Nageswara Rao, .
He said that significant progress was made in resolving production related factors over the years, but market related factors remain a challenge to ensure better profits for farmers.
Mr. Nageswara Rao, after inaugurating the event along with Minister for Irrigation and Civil Supplies N. Uttam Kumar Reddy, said that the summit will was an appropriate platform for exchange of knowledge, and for domestic players to interact with exporters and traders.
Mr. Reddy, addressing the multi-stake gathering, said the Telangana Government was open to dialogue on paddy export, even by convincing the Centre on certain existing restrictions.
Explaining the farmer-centric measure of the Government, he predicted that the State’s year-on-year paddy production would increase further with better infrastructure. He expressed interest in learning and introducing better and modern milling methods in Telangana.
Speaking on the occasion, Telangana State Planning Board vice chairman G. Chinna Reddy suggested the Centre to introduce commodity boards, a collaborative front of farmers, scientists, and traders for deliberation of best practices, an established practice in Israel, to boost direct profits of farmers.
Ideas on easy and better paddy transplantation methods sought
Mr. Chinna Reddy, underlining the intense labor and processes involved in paddy cultivation, which leave the farmers with diminishing profits, sought scientists and innovators for ideas on easy and better paddy transplantation methods.
The inaugural day witnessed discussions of rice policy around the world and its impact on food security, recent developments in hybrid rice industry, and global rice market trends.
ICI president Jeremy Zwinger, Indian Rice Exporters’ Federation president Prem Garg, The Rice Exporters’ Association president B.V. Krishna Rao, Principal Secretary (Agriculture) from Odisha Arabindha Padhee, senior bureaucrats from Telangana, and others were present.
