Uttam Kumar Reddy seeks key approvals in FCI meeting at Secretariat

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By HNH Web Desk
FCI meeting

Hyderabad: Telangana Civil Supplies Minister Uttam Kumar Reddy met Food Corporation of India Chairman and Managing Director Ashutosh Agnihotri at the Secretariat on Saturday. The FCI meeting Telangana discussion focused on procurement issues, rice movement, storage needs and pending CMR deliveries.

The minister requested an additional parboiled rice allotment under KMS 2024-25 Rabi. The Government of India set a target of 30 LMT of boiled rice for Kharif and Rabi. Till now, the state supplied 17.06 LMT of parboiled rice and 0.87 LMT of raw rice. Officials said 2.34 LMT of parboiled rice and 14.26 LMT of raw rice remain pending. Reddy noted that the Rabi season favours parboiled rice and sought an extra 10 LMT allotment.

FCI meeting Telangana highlights transport and storage shortages

Reddy said the year’s rake movement showed a 13.5 LMT shortfall when compared with January–November last year. This gap led to parboiled rice piling up in FCI godowns and delayed CMR deliveries. He asked FCI to allocate more rakes immediately to speed up movement from Telangana depots.

He also sought an extension of the CMR delivery deadline for Kharif 2024-25. The deadline ended on 12 November 2025. Limited storage space at FCI and high procurement volumes left 2.27 LMT of CMR pending. The minister requested a 60-day extension.

Reddy raised concerns about storage shortages. The present SWC and CWC capacity of 65 LMT is fully used by government agencies. FCI faces constraints because it can hire only godowns that meet specific requirements, such as rail sidings or proximity to goods sheds. These limits affect timely CMR lifting. He asked for 15 LMT of additional storage under the relevant scheme.

Telangana places further demands during FCI meeting

The minister urged FCI to sanction an extra 10–12 LMT quota of boiled rice under KMS 2024-25. He said the state must lift 18 lakh tonnes by February 2026. Millers, he added, are slowing procurement due to space shortages, which may disrupt new grain collection.

He requested restoration of the PEG scheme so the state can build more godowns through private partnership with a total guarantee period of seven to eight years, comprising two years of state guarantee and six years from FCI.

Reddy also asked FCI to permit the movement of 0.5 lakh tonnes of boiled rice every month for the next four months.

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