Farmers in Telangana to Receive Relief Through Government Procurement of Maize

27-Apr-2026 03:48 PM

Khammam: In Telangana—a key maize-producing state in South India—the wholesale market price for this coarse grain has plummeted significantly below the Minimum Support Price (MSP), causing severe financial losses to farmers.

Following protests and agitation by irate and anxious farmers, the State Government urged the Centre to provide financial assistance for the procurement of 1.5 million tonnes of maize. Meanwhile, the State Cabinet approved a proposal to mobilize funds independently.

For the 2025-26 season, maize production in Telangana is estimated at 4.32 million tonnes, and the government intends to procure at least one-third of this output. To this end, a decision has been taken to procure 1.489 million tonnes of maize; based on an MSP of ₹2,400 per quintal, the estimated expenditure for this procurement is projected to be ₹4,173 crore.

The State Cabinet has approved the maize procurement proposal, and the responsibility for carrying out this procurement has been entrusted to the Telangana State Cooperative Marketing Federation Limited (TS MARKFED). The State Government has also agreed to provide the necessary guarantees to assist MARKFED in mobilizing the required funds.

Telangana ranks among the country's leading maize-producing states, with its contribution to the total national output rising to approximately 10 percent.

The crop was sown across nearly 100,000 hectares in the state, and the average yield rate is estimated at 65.66 quintals per hectare. In most markets (mandis) across Telangana, the average price of maize has dropped to around ₹1,600 per quintal—a figure that is ₹800 per quintal below the MSP.