Telangana Pushes High-Demand Fine Paddy Varieties for Kharif 2026

The Telangana government is taking steps to promote profitable cultivation in the upcoming Kharif (monsoon) season , with a special focus on high-demand fine variety paddy . State Agriculture Minister Tummala Nageswara Rao directed officials to prioritise varieties that have strong market demand and yield better returns.

The decisions were taken during a review meeting held at the Secretariat on Friday, attended by Agriculture Commission Chairman Kodanda Reddy and senior officials.

The minister noted that last year, the availability of 33 paddy varieties created marketing difficulties for farmers, with some even missing out on bonuses. To address this, he instructed officials to limit cultivation this year to farmer-preferred, high-demand varieties .

The identified varieties include BPT-5204, RNR-15048, HMT Sona, Jai Sriram, KNM-1638, WGL-44, WGL-962, and JGL-1798.

To create awareness among farmers, the government will organise “Rythu Utsavams” from May 4 to May 9 . The minister directed that selected seeds be distributed to farmers by May 15 .

He also instructed that, along with the State Seed Corporation, private companies should supply the same varieties. If required, a special meeting with seed companies will be convened.

During the meeting, the minister expressed strong dissatisfaction over the Minimum Support Price (MSP) policy of the Centre. He criticised that while MSP is announced by the Centre, the procurement burden is shifted to the states .

He stated that to safeguard farmers, the state government is procuring produce at MSP, resulting in an additional financial burden of ₹2,000–3,000 crore annually on the state budget. He demanded that the Centre must procure the entire produce for which MSP is announced.

Agriculture Commission Chairman Kodanda Reddy alleged that the Centre has ignored the recommendations of the Swaminathan Commission and is not determining MSP on a scientific basis.

Agriculture Secretary Surendra Mohan , agricultural university scientists, and senior officials also attended the meeting and discussed the cultivation plan.

Overall, the government aims to implement a profitable and structured cultivation strategy for farmers in the upcoming Kharif season.