Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao has accused the Centre of “creating troubles for the Telangana government by making the Food Corporation of India (FCI) not lift the 4 lakh tonnes of rice stocks in addition to 1.1 crore tonnes of paddy stocks that includes procurement made during the recent Rabi season and those stored in godowns or mills.
At a high-level review meeting held with Ministers and authorities here late on Friday, he instructed the authorities to process the paddy that is going to be produced this Kharif season in addition to the huge stocks already available into various food products and export it to other countries and States so that farmers could benefit further.
He stated that the State government was planning to establish new technology rice mills and food processing industries and at the same time encouraging the existing milling capacity, as paddy production was expected to reach at least 4 crore tonnes a year from the existing 3 crore tonnes with the completion of ongoing components of Kaleshwaram projects and Palamuru-Rangareddy lift irrigation scheme.
The Chief Minister stated that establishing hi-tech rice mills and processing industries had become necessary in the backdrop of troubles being created by the Centre in lifting rice stocks as part of custom milling rice (CMR) from the State every year. Stating that the existing capacity of paddy milling was only one crore tonnes, he said efforts would be to create the capacity for at least two crore more tonnes.
Committee on rice mills
To finalise the guidelines for establishing hi-tech rice mills and allied food processing industries, the CM announced the formation of a committee consisting of Special Chief Secretary (Finance) K. Ramakrishna Rao as Chairman and Secretary in the CMO Smita Sabharwal, Principal Secretary (IT and Industries) Jayesh Ranjan, Commissioner of Civil Supplies V. Anil Kumar and Managing Director of TS Industrial Infrastructure Corporation (TSIIC) E.V. Narasimha Reddy as members.
Japanese collaboration
KCR said Telangana was the only State in the country extending a helping hand to the farming community from the provision of investment support to procurement of the produce. The committee would hold discussions with Satake Corporation of Japan having expertise in setting up hi-tech rice mills.
