Yasangi paddy procurement crosses 50 Lakh MT in Telangana, double of BRS-era
Hyderabad: Telangana has crossed the 50 lakh metric tonne mark in paddy procurement during the ongoing Yasangi (Rabi) season, a volume double that of the same period under the previous BRS government. Civil Supplies and Irrigation Minister N. Uttam Kumar Reddy announced the record figures during a video conference with District Collectors and senior officials at the Dr B.R. Ambedkar Secretariat on Friday.
As of 15 May, procurement stood at 49.53 lakh metric tonnes. The minister said the number reflects a shift in administrative approach under the Congress government, citing better planning, department coordination, and infrastructure expansion. The current Yasangi season saw paddy cultivation across 60.14 lakh acres, with an estimated output of 129.35 LMT. The government’s procurement target is 70.13 LMT—already over 71 percent achieved.
To handle the rise in yield, the state established 8,348 Paddy Procurement Centres this season—1,311 more than last year. Uttam Kumar Reddy said no farmer should be made to wait to sell produce, and assured that rain-affected paddy would also be purchased to prevent distress sales. He told collectors to maintain ground-level oversight and immediately fix any gaps in logistics.
With peak procurement expected in the next 10–12 days, officials were directed to stay alert. The minister warned against misinformation targeting the procurement process and asked collectors to counter it actively to maintain farmer confidence.
Comparative data shared during the review showed procurement in Rabi 2022–23 at 25.35 LMT and 32.93 LMT in 2023–24. Officials highlighted delays, low miller participation, and transport issues during earlier seasons under the BRS government. This year, early planning helped avoid those problems.
Uttam Kumar Reddy said the high procurement volume is not just a number but signals a change in governance—faster, larger, and more responsive. He called for the same momentum until the end of the season, adding that the government supports farmers from sowing to sale.
He also reviewed advance foodgrain lifting under the National Food Security Act for June–August 2025. Telangana has asked the Centre to extend the grain lifting deadline to 30 June due to logistical challenges and monsoon onset.
Officials informed him that verification is underway for 96,240 ration cards flagged by the Centre’s Department of Food and Public Distribution. These cards cover 1.62 lakh suspected beneficiaries, including silent cards, duplicates, and entries linked to deceased or ineligible persons.
Uttam Kumar Reddy instructed collectors to treat the verification as urgent, promising transparent procedures and protection for genuine cardholders. Telangana currently has over 90 lakh active ration cards, covering around 2.82 crore people. Flagged entries make up just over one percent but are enough to impact system accuracy if ignored.
He told officials to carry out physical checks where needed and cancel fraudulent cards swiftly, while ensuring no legitimate beneficiary is removed from the list.