Now, Filipinos to relish rice from Telangana

Hyderabad: As part of exploring possibilities of exporting fine varieties of paddy to South East Asian countries, theTelangana governmenthas begun negotiations with Philipines for the same.

Philippines has shown interest in importing Telangana’s paddy to the tune of 3 lakh MT, after holding first round of talks with the Ministers and officials of the State. On Saturday, the Minister for Civil Supplies and Irrigation N Uttam Kumar Reddy discussed the possibilities with in charge Minister of Food and Agriculture of Philippines through a video conference. These talks come in the backdrop of Philippines’ keenness to procure Indian paddy following a gap of several years. “The Philippines has stopped importing paddy and rice from India for the last few years, due to reasons like quality. However, the Telangana State’s rice production has improved considerably. The ongoing talks are on at the level of government to government export, if it materialises, it will open up the trade route for Telangana towards Philippines in the coming days,” the officials informed.

Both Uttam Kumar Reddy and the Filipino Minister assured complete mutual cooperation and hoped that the deal materialises soon. “If this materialises, it will be another feather in the cap for the Civil Supplies department of Telangana. As the quality of rice is enhanced and qualifies the standards, our paddy is likely to be exported to the Philippines after years of gap,” the officials added.

The State government has been encouraging cultivation of fine varieties which are preferred in the global market. Rice is being grown in over 12 million acres and the annual output is in the order of 26 million tonnes. Over 220 varieties of paddy are grown in the State. As far as the rice exports from the country are concerned, Indian rice varieties enjoy a better market in over 100 countries. The country has taken over 45 per cent of global market share and in future India will have more surplus rice to feed many more countries by 2030, according to Agriculture Minister Thummala Nageswar Rao.