Delhi: Chief Minister Sri Revanth Reddy and the State Minister for Irrigation and Civil Supplies, Sri Uttam Kumar Reddy, have appealed to the Union Minister for Food and Public Distribution, Sri Pralhad Joshi, to procure 30 lakh metric tonnes (LMT) of boiled rice from Telangana regarding the Yasangi (Rabi) crop season. They informed the Union Minister that Telangana is well-suited for the milling of Yasangi paddy into boiled rice.
They stated that this fact becomes evident upon examining the statistics regarding the supply of Custom Milling Rice (CMR) over the past six Yasangi seasons. Accompanied by Minister Uttam, the Chief Minister met Union Minister Joshi at the latter’s residence in Delhi.
On this occasion, they recalled that officials from the Union Department of Food and Public Distribution had recently suggested increasing the supply of boiled rice, citing the massive nationwide demand for it. They explained that an estimated 90 LMT of paddy is expected to be produced in Telangana during the current Yasangi season.
They conveyed to the Union Minister that Yasangi paddy is suitable for milling into boiled rice; consequently, they expressed their readiness to supply a total of 30 LMT of boiled rice (with a 5% broken rice limit) and 5 LMT of raw rice (with a 10% broken rice limit) from the Yasangi harvest. The Union Minister accorded in-principle approval to the Chief Minister’s proposal regarding the supply of boiled rice.
They also appealed to Sri Pralhad Joshi to immediately release the outstanding dues amounting to Rs 1,468.94 crore, pertaining to the procurement of the additional levy from the 2014–15 Kharif (monsoon) crop season. He stated that Telangana stands at the forefront of the country in both paddy production and procurement, adding that payments are being disbursed to farmers within 48 hours of grain procurement.
Acknowledging the immense pressure currently facing the State Civil Supplies Department, he requested the immediate release of pending arrears.
Noting that Fortified Rice Kernels (FRK) were previously distributed through schools, hostels, and ICDS centers to combat anemia and nutritional deficiencies among children—a practice that was recently discontinued—he appealed for its immediate resumption.
The meeting with the Union Minister in Delhi was attended by the State Government’s Special Representative, Mr. AP Jitender; the Secretary for Coordination, Mr. Advait Singh; and officials from the Union Department of Food and Public Distribution.
