Explained | Telangana’s paddy procurement row 

The TRS government has been demanding that the Centre procure paddy from the State at the minimum support price to aid farmers

The ongoing tussle between the TRS government in Telangana and the Centre over paddy procurement took a new turn as Chief Minister K. Chandrashekar Rao on Tuesday decided to open procurement centres after his 24-hours ultimatum to the Modi government did not get a positive response. Accused of “enacting a drama in the name of dharna” by both Congress and BJP in the State, Mr. Rao had threatened to take the protest across the country if his demands were not met.

The TRS government has been demanding that the Centre procure paddy (rice with husk) from the State at the minimum support price (MSP) to aid farmers. However, the Centre maintains that it can only procure raw rice and very less parboiled rice as per demand. State BJP president and MP Bandi Sanjay Kumar argued that the State government should procure paddy from farmers, convert it into rice, and supply it to the Centre.

The row is also over the procurement of parboiled rice, which is no longer largely consumed in India. TRS leaders have been demanding the Centre to procure parboiled rice even though the central government has made it clear that it can only procure raw rice. 

CM Mr. Rao has accused the Centre of making contradictory statements on paddy procurement. He said that the central government asked the State government to shift from paddy in the Rabi season; but even as it was doing so, Union Minister Kishan Reddy and BJP State president Bandi Sanjay “instigated” farmers to grow paddy and promised to procure the entire quantity.

While raw rice is produced by drying and milling paddy without steaming, parboiled rice is cooked partially and then dehydrated and dried out for sale to consumers.

Despite being a State that does not consume parboiled rice, during the Rabi season Telangana usually produces large quantities of it for States that consume it but have a deficit in production. However, in the last few years, production in parboiled-consuming States like Jharkhand, Kerala, and Tamil Nadu has increased, resulting in lesser movement of parboiled rice to these States.

The Telangana government has asked the Centre to buy more than 90 per cent of the rice produced by its farmers, including parboiled stock from the last Rabi season. If not, around 61 lakh farmers who grow paddy will be severely affected, says the State.