NEW DELHI: IT Minister KT Rama Rao on Saturday met Union Minister for Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution Piyush Goyal to discuss the allocation of additional parboiled rice for the upcoming Rabi 2022-23 season.
During the meeting, Rama Rao told Goyal that Telangana farmers have opted for paddy in over 57 lakh acres. This accounts for more than 50% of the nation’s paddy cultivation, he said. The State has procured 66.11 lakh metric tonnes of paddy this season, setting new records in the agricultural sector.
Rama Rao informed Goyal that Telangana has been delivering Common Matta Rice (CMR) in the form of parboiled rice to the Food Corporation of India (FCI) during the Rabi seasons. This unique approach was necessitated by the high temperatures during the paddy crop’s growth, which are unfavourable for milling raw rice within the mandated limit of less than 25% broken rice.
He also highlighted the findings of the Central Food Technological Research Institute (CFTRI) in Mysore, which conducted test milling in 11 districts of the State during the previous Rabi season. The report indicated a broken percentage of 48.20 for the major variety, MTU 1010, cultivated during that season. In light of this, the Union government allocated 10.20 lakh metric tonnes of parboiled rice for the State, equivalent to 15 lakh metric tonnes of paddy, leaving a balance of 51.11 lakh metric tonnes of paddy to be milled for the delivery of raw rice to FCI.
Rama Rao expressed the financial implications arising from the higher percentage of broken rice, stating, “The delivery of one lakh metric tonnes of raw rice to FCI entails a financial implication of Rs 42.08 crore. Considering the additional 34.24 lakh metric tonnes to be delivered in the form of raw rice, the total financial implication amounts to Rs 1,441 crore.” Taking into account these financial considerations, Rama Rao requested the allocation of an additional 20 lakh metric tonnes of Parboiled Fortified Rice for the upcoming Rabi 2022-23 season.
