Telangana is the leading rice producer in country: Uttam
Telangana leads the nation in rice production with 280 lakh metric tons in 2025-26. Celebrating its first rice export to the Philippines, officials announced a 10 lakh metric ton annual MoU for Doddu varieties. The government promises bonuses, export incentives, and training initiatives as it eyes long-term global markets for surplus rice stocks.
Hyderabad: In light of Telangana exporting rice to the Philippines for the first time, a seminar on rice export policy was held on Tuesday at Professor Jayashankar Telangana Agricultural University.
Telangana State Civil Supplies Minister Captain N Uttam Kumar Reddy was the chief guest at the seminar. He announced that Telangana has become the leading state in rice production in the country this year, with an impressive output of approximately 280 lakh metric tons of rice grain for the year 2025-26, marking a new record. The Minister attributed this achievement to the hard work of the farmers, favourable weather conditions, natural cooperation, and the availability of new rice varieties. He congratulated the farmers of Telangana, asserting that the government will fully support them.
He stated that the government will purchase every grain of rice, offering a bonus of Rs 500 per quintal for small varieties. Additionally, he pointed out that beyond meeting local needs, the state will allocate around 60 lakh metric tons of rice for central stocks, resulting in a surplus of about 50 to 60 lakh metric tons.
To market this surplus, Telangana has seized the opportunity to export rice to the Philippines and has entered into a direct Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Philippine government, which will allow for the export of 10 lakh metric tons of Doddu rice annually. The Minister explained that important Doddu varieties, such as MTU-1010 and IR-64, are extensively cultivated in the state and have high demand in the Philippines.
He encouraged agricultural scientists to promote the Direct Seeding Rice (DSR) method, the Alternate Wetting and Drying (AWD) method, and low-chemical rice varieties that are becoming popular among farmers. Moreover, he announced that suitable incentives would be provided to farmers and policy incentives for exporters to cultivate export-friendly rice varieties.
He emphasised the need to establish a modern rice mill at the Agricultural University as a demonstration project to train farmers and youth to become modern entrepreneurs. During the seminar, Vice Chancellor Professor Aldas Janaiah noted that the Philippines is a country that will consistently rely on imports and is unlikely to achieve selfsufficiency. By identifying it as a favorable market for Telangana rice and taking proactive steps, a permanent solution could be found for the rice stocks produced in Telangana.
The Minister was also advised that supplying rice from paddy procurement centres to potential exporters at a cost equal to the government’s expenses could promote exports without imposing a financial burden on the government.
Present at the seminar were All India Rice Millers Association president B Krishna Rao, officials from the Food Corporation of India, APEDA, farmer leaders, university scientists, and civil supplies department officials. University Research Director Dr Balaram, Chief Rice Scientist Dr Damodar Raju, and World Food Prize Foundation Awardee Dr Samarendu Mahanti, who is also a recently appointed UGC Professor of Practice, delivered keynote speeches on the topic of export policy.
To Read more about Rice News continue reading Agriinsite.com
Source : The Hans India
