Telangana Eyes Rice Export Boost to Philippines

Hyderabad:Civil supplies minister N. Uttam Kumar Reddy on Tuesday met Francisco P. Tu Laurel Jr., secretary of agriculture of the Republic of the Philippines, in New Delhi to discuss prospects of increasing rice exports to the south-eastern nation.

The two leaders held detailed discussions on expanding rice exports and trade between Telangana and the Philippines. Uttam Kumar Reddy said Telangana had emerged as one of India’s leading paddy-producing states, with modern milling infrastructure and the capacity to supply high-quality rice in substantial quantities.

Secretary Laurel responded positively, indicating that the Philippines would examine sourcing larger quantities of rice from Telangana. Both sides discussed taking the proposal forward through government agencies, recognised importers, exporters and rice millers.

Earlier, Uttam Kumar Reddy told the Assembly in March 2026 that exports had realised ₹81.90 crore at ₹3,600 per quintal, amounting to about 22.75 per cent of the proposed one lakh million tonnes quantity shipped, leaving about 77,250 million metric tonnes (MMT) against the original target.

Official sources said Philippine rice consumption was about 17.6 MMT in 2025–26, while domestic paddy production was estimated at 19.52 MMT, translating to lower milled-rice availability. The country remains heavily dependent on imports, with 2.38 MMT imported between January and May 2026, 16.5 per cent higher than the same period in 2025.

“The future prospects for Telangana are promising, particularly for competitively priced non-basmati varieties. Telangana has the advantage of large paddy surpluses, established milling capacity and India’s strong position in the global rice export market,” sources said.