Telangana Minister Pushes for Accelerated Maize Procurement Operations

Hyderabad — State Agriculture, Marketing, Cooperation, Handlooms and Textiles Minister Thummala Nageswara Rao has instructed departmental officials to accelerate maize procurement operations and minimize disruptions for farming communities.

During a Friday meeting at the Secretariat with senior officials from the Agriculture and Marketing Department, the Minister reviewed various aspects of the procurement pipeline, including inventory management, logistics, and packaging materials availability.

According to the Minister, Telangana has accumulated 9.57 lakh metric tonnes of maize from farmers statewide. He noted that while the Centre has not undertaken procurement, the state government initiated the operation independently using Rs 4,000 crore in state resources, following directives from Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy.

The government also stands prepared to procure jowar with an approved budget of approximately Rs 1,100 crore, the Minister added.

Storage Capacity Constraints

A significant challenge facing the procurement drive is warehousing capacity. The state needs storage facilities totaling 15.07 lakh metric tonnes to accommodate procured maize, but current infrastructure provides only 11.40 lakh metric tonnes of capacity. This shortfall of 3.29 lakh metric tonnes requires urgent attention.

Thummala Nageswara Rao instructed Marketing Department officials to quickly identify and secure additional warehouse space and finalize all necessary arrangements.

Supply Chain Bottlenecks

The procurement operations require approximately three crore gunny bags for packaging. To date, authorities have distributed two crore bags, leaving a gap of one crore bags that must be procured immediately, the Minister directed.

He further instructed officials to prevent workforce shortages at loading facilities across procurement centres and ensure swift weighing and movement of harvested crops to storage locations. Close coordination between Agriculture and Marketing Department teams is essential to prevent transportation delays, he emphasized.

Appeals to Centre on Policy

The Minister disclosed that Telangana has repeatedly appealed to the Centre to bring maize and jowar under the Price Support Scheme, particularly given damage from unseasonal rainfall affecting cultivators. These requests have remained unanswered.

Thummala Nageswara Rao also called for the Centre to increase procurement caps for bengal gram and sunflower from the current 25 percent ceiling to 50 percent under the PSS framework. He committed to writing again to the Union Agriculture Minister and urged Telangana's Union Ministers and Members of Parliament to advocate with the Centre for expanded procurement limits and inclusion of additional crops under the scheme.

The Minister reiterated that guaranteeing fair prices for agricultural produce remains a Central government responsibility. He stressed that Telangana continues its procurement efforts to safeguard farmer interests and avert economic hardship in rural areas.