Telangana Makes Breakthrough: First Rice Export to Philippines Ships Off

Telangana successfully exported its first rice shipment to the Philippines, signaling a major step in global market engagement for the state's surplus paddy. The deal involves IR64/MTU1010 rice, and strict quality adherence is required. Minister Reddy emphasized the event as a milestone for Telangana's agriculture sector and farmers.

In a landmark move, Telangana has exported its inaugural rice consignment to the Philippines, as announced by the Irrigation and Civil Supplies Minister Capt N Uttam Kumar Reddy on Monday. This venture marks a significant achievement in accessing international markets for the state's surplus paddy reserves.

The export features the IR64/MTU1010 rice variety, requiring adherence to stringent quality standards with only 5% broken grains. This includes being well-milled, polished, and meeting Sortex quality, while keeping foreign matter and moisture content to a minimum.

After dispatching 12,500 metric tons of rice from Kakinada Port, Minister Reddy highlighted Telangana's emergence as a key paddy producer, attributed to favorable conditions and government support. While facing delayed cost reimbursements from the central government, Telangana seized the opportunity to explore exports to lessen financial burdens, culminating in an agreement with the Philippines for rice supply.

(With inputs from agencies.)