TG’s rice industry should be future-oriented: Uttam

HYDERABADIrrigation and Civil Supplies Minister N. Uttam Kumar Reddy has outlined a comprehensive roadmap for the rice milling sector while promising policy support for upgradation of existing mills.Speaking at the International Rice and Grains Tech Expo-2026 here on Saturday, he said that Telangana had already become India’s leading paddy-producing and paddy-procuring State and it would now aim to become a global leader in rice technology and value addition.Describing rice millers as partners in Telangana’s progress, the Minister said the government wanted farmers, millers and consumers to benefit together from the State’s agricultural growth. He announced that the government was examining a new incentive policy to encourage the establishment of export-oriented rice mills in Telangana.The new rice mills set up for exports and existing mills converting their operations towards exports would be considered for special incentives to boost Telangana’s presence in the global rice markets, the minister said. In a strong push for mechanisation of storage, he suggested millers to adopt greater mechanisation and automation to overcome the labour shortage faced by the rice industry.He said modern machinery could help reduce dependence on manual labour, improve productivity and address recurring worker shortages that affect milling operations during the peak seasons. Calling for large investments in modern grain storage infrastructure, the minister said smart storage systems including steel silos, automated storage, AI-based grain monitoring and digital inventory management would play a key role in addressing the problems in grain storage.Inviting private investors to come forward with proposals for building large-capacity storage facilities through public-private partnership models, Mr. Reddy urged the industry to adopt water-saving and energy-efficient technologies in parboiling plants. The processing units, he said, should focus on reducing water consumption, recycling water and improving environmental sustainability.Suggesting the millers to focus on value-addition too by moving beyond quality-based processing, the minister said nutrition-oriented rice processing would drive the market demand in future. He highlighted technologies such as controlled whitening, precision polishing, nutrient-retention systems and AI-based quality assessment that could help produce healthier rice.On Telangana’s growth story, he said that Telangana was producing nearly 300 lakh tonnes of paddy annually and currently accounts for nearly 60% of India’s Rabi paddy procurement. The State Government had transferred nearly ₹39,000 crore to farmers during the current Kharif and Rabi procurement seasons and over ₹96,000 crore since the Congress Government assumed office. Published - June 06, 2026 08:29 pm IST