Telangana plans silo storage roadmap to prevent crop loss, says Uttam Kumar Reddy
Hyderabad: The Telangana government began preparing a silo storage roadmap to prevent crop loss by adopting modern technology, Minister for Irrigation and Civil Supplies N. Uttam Kumar Reddy said after a review meeting at the BR Ambedkar Secretariat.
Addressing officials from the Civil Supplies Department and the Food Corporation of India, the minister said scientific storage would protect harvested grain and strengthen food security. He said the state aimed to give farmers greater assurance while reducing wastage of food grains.
Uttam Kumar Reddy said Telangana ranked among the top grain-producing states in the country. Therefore, the government planned systematic measures to safeguard the large volume of grain procured from farmers. He said the state was considering the introduction of a modern silo-based storage system to avoid losses after procurement.
The minister explained that silo facilities could store rice, maize, and soybean. He added that integrated cleaners and dryers in the silo system could preserve grain for up to two years without human intervention. According to him, such technology would ensure long-term protection and better quality maintenance.
Silo storage roadmap aims to cut losses and boost revenue
Hyderabad: Uttam Kumar Reddy said the current system involved sending procured grain directly to rice mills. As a result, delays in milling often led to deterioration and financial loss. He said the lack of scientific storage facilities at mills further worsened the problem.
In this context, the government decided to explore a scientific silo storage roadmap. He said the system would remove moisture at the procurement stage itself through modern dryers. This approach, he added, would allow long-term storage and also fetch higher prices for aged rice in the market.
The minister said recent reforms introduced by the Congress government in the Civil Supplies Department had drawn national attention. He cited the free distribution of fine rice to the poor and the ₹500 bonus for fine varieties as key measures. According to him, these steps helped reduce food inflation across the country.
Uttam Kumar Reddy said the proposed silo project could deliver large-scale benefits. He pointed out that the Centre currently shifted the responsibility of grain procurement to the state while purchasing only milled rice. Due to this system, Telangana incurred an annual burden of nearly ₹5,000 crore between procurement and milling.
He said implementing the silo storage roadmap could eliminate this burden. Moreover, the state could generate an additional ₹1,000 crore in revenue through efficient grain management.
