Telangana has emerged as the undisputed national leader in Yasangi (Rabi) paddy procurement for 2025-26, having already crossed 60 lakh tonnes — far ahead of every other state in the country, Minister for Irrigation and Civil Supplies N. Uttam Kumar Reddy announced at a press conference in Hyderabad on Friday, 29 May. The state now accounts for nearly 60 per cent of all paddy procured nationally during the ongoing Yasangi season.

How Telangana Compares to Other States

The procurement gap between Telangana and its peers is striking. While Telangana has secured 60 lakh tonnes, Andhra Pradesh stands at approximately 24 lakh tonnes, Tamil Nadu at 11–12 lakh tonnes, Maharashtra at 3 lakh tonnes, and Kerala at nearly 2 lakh tonnes. Uttam Kumar Reddy claimed the state has also become the top supplier of rice to the Food Corporation of India (FCI) under the Central Pool mechanism.

Paddy cultivation during Yasangi 2025-26 covered 64.36 lakh acres, yielding an estimated production of 141 lakh metric tonnes. By the time operations conclude — preferably before the onset of the southwest monsoon, forecast for the first week of June — the state is expected to account for nearly 75 per cent of total national Yasangi paddy procurement, according to the minister.

Exceeding Central Procurement Limits

Notably, the Centre had agreed to procure only up to 52 lakh tonnes from Telangana. The state has already exceeded that ceiling by 115 per cent, a figure the minister attributed to extraordinary farm output and what he described as the Congress Government's commitment to farmer welfare. Uttam Kumar Reddy said the Chief Minister and he have repeatedly raised with the Union Government the issue of FCI reducing its rice acceptance even as Telangana's production grows year on year.

The minister described the mismatch as a structural concern: production is rising, but central procurement allocations are reportedly being trimmed — a tension that could affect farmer income in coming seasons if unresolved.

Scale of Operations and MSP Payments

To manage the volume, the state government established 8,575 procurement centres, deployed nearly 13,000 transport vehicles, and mobilised over 2 lakh personnel for procurement, transportation, and logistics. MSP payments totalling ₹11,050 crore have already been credited directly into farmers' bank accounts.

Under the broader KMS 2025-26 cycle — covering both Kharif and Yasangi procurement — total procurement-related operations and farmer payments have reached nearly ₹39,300 crore, according to the minister.

Protecting Farmers from Unseasonal Rains

Addressing the impact of recent unseasonal rainfall, Uttam Kumar Reddy said the government arranged the transportation of 10,214 tonnes of rain-soaked paddy to boiled rice mills, ensuring affected farmers still received full MSP payments without financial hardship. 'Not a single farmer should suffer losses because of adverse weather conditions,' he said.

Political Response

Agriculture Minister Tummala Nageswara Rao and Transport Minister Ponnam Prabhakar jointly criticised Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) leaders for what they described as a politically motivated campaign against the procurement drive, asserting that the current operation is unparalleled in Telangana's history in both scale and execution.

With procurement operations set to intensify ahead of the monsoon deadline, the Centre's response to Telangana's demand for higher FCI allocations will be closely watched in the weeks ahead.