Telangana, Philippines Explore New Avenues in Rice and Paddy Trade
Hyderabad, August 6, 2025 – In a significant step towards strengthening agricultural trade ties, a high-level meeting was held between Telangana’s Hon’ble Minister for Civil Supplies, Sri N. Uttam Kumar Reddy, and the Hon’ble Minister for Agriculture of the Philippines, Francisco P. Tiu Laurel Jr. The discussions took place in a cordial and cooperative atmosphere, laying the foundation for potential expansion of rice and paddy exports from Telangana to the Philippines.
The Philippine Agriculture Minister began by expressing appreciation for the high quality of rice produced in Telangana. He highlighted his country’s projected requirement of approximately 2.00 million metric tonnes (MMT) of rice and paddy in the coming year and conveyed keen interest in sourcing a significant portion from Telangana.
In response, Minister Uttam Kumar Reddy thanked his counterpart for the recognition and assured the Philippines of Telangana’s full cooperation in meeting the demand. He also extended an invitation for Minister Laurel to visit Telangana later this year, which was warmly accepted.
A major development during the talks was the Philippines Minister’s positive response to Telangana’s proposal to export paddy, in addition to milled rice. The visiting Minister showed particular interest in Telangana’s premium Sona (RNR 15048) rice variety, a suggestion put forward by the Commissioner of Civil Supplies, Sri D.S. Chauhan.
The Philippines delegation also expressed interest in the import of maize from Telangana, further widening the scope of agricultural trade between the two regions.
The meeting concluded on a highly optimistic note, with both sides committing to deepen bilateral trade relations. The Philippines Agriculture Ministry also indicated that a formal invitation would soon be extended to Minister Uttam Kumar Reddy for a reciprocal visit to the Philippines.
This engagement marks a promising chapter in Telangana’s agri-export ambitions and underscores the growing global recognition of the state’s agricultural produce.
