Hyderabad: The Telangana Civil Supplies Department on Tuesday drew up a Kharif paddy procurement roadmap focused on expanding storage capacity and modernising procurement centres for the 2026-27 season.
Senior officials reviewed logistics and infrastructure requirements during a high-level strategic meeting at Civil Supplies Bhavan in Hyderabad. The department planned to ask district collectors to identify and secure all viable storage facilities before paddy arrivals began.
Officials explored multiple options to increase holding capacity across Telangana. These included godowns, market yards, vacant industrial sheds, function halls and open spaces. The department also considered Cover and Plinth storage wherever required.
Meanwhile, officials planned rapid evacuation of existing stocks from godowns. The exercise aimed to create maximum storage space before fresh paddy reached procurement centres.
Kharif paddy procurement requires additional storage
The Agriculture and MARKFED departments were also clearing stocks from their storage facilities and godowns. Both departments assured officials that additional space would become available before procurement operations began.
The Civil Supplies Department focused on ensuring adequate storage capacity to prevent logistical problems during peak arrivals. Alongside storage expansion, officials reviewed the modernisation and mechanisation of Paddy Procurement Centres.
The department assessed progress in procuring automatic paddy cleaners for the centres. Officials also reviewed the procurement of modern mechanical stackers to improve grain handling.
These machines were intended to speed up operations at the grassroots level. Moreover, the department expected them to reduce farmers’ turnaround time. Officials said mechanisation would also help address logistical bottlenecks during peak Kharif paddy procurement operations.
The review therefore covered both immediate storage requirements and improvements at procurement centres.
Farm to Silo system reviewed for paddy operations
The department also examined longer-term changes to the procurement and storage system. Officials reviewed an automated “Farm to Silo” operational framework and assessed a possible phased transition.
The proposed system covered every major stage between procurement and storage. Digital weighbridges formed one component of the framework. Officials also examined scientific paddy sampling and pre-cleaning systems.
Furthermore, the proposed system included grain dryers and automated bulk silos. Integrated milling linkages were also reviewed as part of the Farm to Silo framework. The department examined how these components could improve the movement and handling of paddy across the procurement chain.
The proposed transition aimed to create a more automated system from the farmer level through storage and milling. The meeting focused on ensuring that infrastructure remained ready before farmers started bringing paddy for procurement.
Creating additional storage capacity remained a key priority. Therefore, the department planned to coordinate with district collectors to identify available facilities. At the same time, evacuation of existing stocks would help free government and associated storage facilities.
Modern equipment at procurement centres was also expected to improve handling capacity during periods of heavy arrivals. The Civil Supplies Department reviewed these measures as part of its preparations for the 2026-27 Kharif paddy procurement season.
M. Stephen Raveendra, Ex-Officio Principal Secretary and Commissioner of the Civil Supplies Department, chaired the high-level coordination meeting.