Andhra Pradesh Govt Urges Farmers to Shift to Fine Rice Cultivation
Ahead of the kharif season, Andhra Pradesh launched a campaign urging farmers to shift from thick rice to fine varieties like Sona Masuri. Civil Supplies Minister Nadendla Manohar announced support through seed supply, training, and market links. The move aims to meet local demand, boost exports, and raise farmer incomes while modernising PDS systems.
Vijayawada, Jun 23 (KNN) In a major policy push ahead of the kharif season, the Andhra Pradesh government has launched a campaign to encourage farmers to transition from growing thick rice varieties to fine rice such as Sona Masuri and Samba Masuri—staples in local diets.
Despite strong consumer demand for fine rice, nearly 95 per cent of the state’s farmers continue to cultivate thick rice, which is largely utilised for milling products like idli and rice rava and destined for export.
Civil Supplies Minister Nadendla Manohar announced a new awareness and support initiative, aimed at bridging the mismatch between supply and demand, improving farmer incomes, and reducing dependency on rice imports.
In a meeting with the Rice Millers Association in Vijayawada, Manohar called on millers to actively assist farmers with the shift to fine rice production.
The initiative involves coordinated action between the Civil Supplies and Agriculture departments.
Officials will support farmers through seed distribution, technical guidance, and market linkage assistance to cultivate high-quality fine rice varieties.
The objective: meet local consumption needs and tap into export markets, boosting profitability for the agricultural sector.
The campaign dovetails with broader reforms under Minister Manohar’s leadership. The state has significantly improved its procurement and distribution systems—ensuring timely payment to farmers and sealing loopholes in the Public Distribution System (PDS).
These efforts include surprise inspections, the seizure of diverted PDS rice stocks, and modernising ration shops with CCTV and enhanced delivery mechanisms.
Additionally, since June, the government has supplied fine-quality rice in the mid-day meal program across approximately 41,000 schools and 4,000 hostels, delivering 3.5 lakh MT of rice as part of this upgrade.
Krishna district alone saw the distribution of nearly 9,700 finely milled rice bags, each marked with a QR code to ensure full traceability.
With the kharif season underway, Andhra Pradesh is positioning itself to become a fine-rice powerhouse—meeting domestic tastes, enhancing food security, and offering new opportunities for farmer prosperity.
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Source : KNN India
