Hyderabad: The Centre has directed states to distribute the Aug, Sept and Oct ration rice quota in Aug itself, keeping in view El Nino conditions. The move is expected to ease burden on state and central govt warehouses in Telangana, where record paddy procurement over the past three seasons has created a storage crunch.Civil supplies corporation officials said nearly 6 lakh metric tonnes (LMT) of fine rice will be required to supply the three-month quota to ration card holders. While the advance distribution will free up substantial storage space, officials said around 9 LMT of milled rice would still remain in govt warehouses.“Though a lot of space will be freed in the godowns, around 9 LMT of milled fine rice will still be available. If El Nino affects paddy production this Kharif season, these stocks could become a blessing by ensuring uninterrupted PDS supplies next year as well,” a senior official told TOI.The state has been grappling with mounting paddy stocks after record production and procurement. During the recent Rabi season alone, paddy production crossed 1.4 crore metric tonnes, while procurement touched nearly 85 LMT.To reduce dependence on water-intensive paddy cultivation, the state govt, agriculture experts, scientists and the Telangana State Farmers’ Commission have been urging farmers to diversify into pulses, vegetables and fruits. Chief minister A Revanth Reddy has also appealed to farmers to shift towards less water-intensive crops.The Centre has so far agreed to procure 52 LMT of paddy from Telangana for custom milling into rice for the Food Corporation of India (FCI). However, the state has requested that the allocation be increased to 80 LMT.On the other hand, the demand for paddy will also go up in the private market if El Nino impacts rice production this season. “If production declines due to El Nino, demand for Telangana’s paddy could increase in domestic as well as export markets,” said an official.The state cabinet has already decided that Telangana will procure paddy from farmers only to the extent accepted by the Centre. Based on Telangana State Farmers’ Commission’s recommendations, the govt is promoting high-demand paddy varieties such as BPT 5204, Telangana Sona (RNR-15048), KNM-1638, Jai Sriram and HMT, which enjoy strong domestic and export demand and offer better returns to cultivators.Officials said that while the current stockpile has posed a storage challenge, it could ultimately serve as a crucial buffer if El Nino affects the ongoing Kharif crop.
