CM Revanth urges Centre to procure additional 18 lakh metric tonnes of paddy

Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy has urged Union Minister for Food and Public Distribution Pralhad Joshi to direct the Food Corporation of India to purchase an additional 18 lakh metric tonnes of paddy procured by the state government during the Vaanakalam crop season of 2025-26. During a meeting held at the residence of the Union Minister on Thursday, the Chief Minister and Civil Supplies Minister N Uttam Kumar Reddy briefed the central authorities on the current procurement status.

They explained that while the state was initially permitted to procure 53.73 lakh metric tonnes for the Kharif season, an unexpected surge in crop production led to the additional collection of 18 lakh metric tonnes. Revanth Reddy requested the Union Minister to facilitate the purchase of this surplus paddy through the FCI with a 10 per cent discount.

Furthermore, the Chief Minister requested that the Centre allow the milling of an additional 10 lakh metric tonnes of boiled rice with a 5 per cent broken rice limit for the 2024-25 Yasangi crop. As the current deadline for custom milling rice for the monsoon season is set for 28 February this year, the state delegation asked for a two-month extension to complete the process effectively.

A significant portion of the discussion focused on financial dues. Revanth Reddy and Uttam Kumar Reddy requested the immediate release of Rs 1468.94 crore in pending arrears related to rice supplied to the FCI during the 2014-15 season.

They highlighted that the state government had borne the additional levy collection costs and incurred over Rs 2,000 crore in interest on loans taken for this purpose. Additionally, the CM appealed for the release of Rs 343.27 crore in arrears for surplus rice supplied between May 2021 and April 2022 under the Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Yojana.