Telangana Minister for Irrigation and Civil Supplies N. Uttam Kumar Reddy on Wednesday, 27 May assured farmers across the state that there is no cause for alarm over rain-drenched paddy, declaring that the government has activated an intensive emergency response to safeguard soaked grain and guarantee procurement of every consignment reaching purchase centres. The assurance came during a high-level video conference convened specifically to address weather disruptions to ongoing paddy procurement operations.

High-Level Review Convened

Uttam Kumar Reddy chaired the video conference, which was attended by ministers, district collectors, senior civil supplies officials, and police authorities. Deputy Chief Minister Bhatti Vikramarka, Chief Secretary K. Ramakrishna Rao, and Civil Supplies Commissioner Stephen Ravindra also joined the session. The review was called in direct response to sudden unseasonal rains and adverse weather conditions disrupting paddy procurement in several districts.

The minister noted that while daily monitoring and district-wise procurement targets had been in place, the unexpected rainfall in certain areas had led to paddy being drenched at procurement centres, necessitating immediate administrative intervention.

Scale of the Procurement Operation

Telangana has recorded paddy arrivals of 66.75 lakh tonnes so far this season, of which nearly 57 lakh tonnes have already been procured. The state government has released ₹10,096 crore directly into the accounts of over 8.14 lakh farmers as Minimum Support Price (MSP) payments. Reports of rain-drenched paddy were received from 17 districts, involving approximately 9,214 tonnes of grain.

In an overnight salvage operation, authorities succeeded in shifting nearly 95 per cent of the soaked paddy to boiled rice mills, averting significant crop loss. District collectors, Revenue Divisional Officers (RDOs), additional collectors, tahsildars, and civil supplies teams were placed on high alert following government weather warnings, with vehicles mobilised from early morning to transport drenched stocks.

Pending Procurement and Districts Under Watch

About 9 lakh tonnes of paddy still remain to be procured, with an additional 8.1 lakh tonnes expected to arrive from fields where harvesting operations are still under way — particularly in districts such as Siddipet, Nagarkurnool, and Jagtial. Despite the weather setback, the minister maintained that the state remains broadly on target and that most districts are expected to complete procurement within the next few days.

Emergency Measures and Logistical Directives

Uttam Kumar Reddy directed that lorries engaged in sand transport be immediately withdrawn and redeployed for paddy transportation. Vehicles used in cement dispatches were similarly instructed to be diverted to ferry procured paddy to mills. Collectors were also told to keep transport vehicles, labour teams, and emergency officers on round-the-clock standby.

The minister flagged the upcoming Bakrid holidays as a particular concern, warning that the festival period is likely to create shortages of drivers and hamalis (loaders). He stressed that the next three to four days are extremely critical to the success of the procurement season and urged all officials to remain on full operational alert.