Higher procurement was mainly due to early harvesting in States such as Punjab and Haryana
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Centre’s rice purchase at minimum support price (MSP) got a further boost during the second half of October as the Food Corporation of India (FCI) was able to procure over 70 lakh tonnes (lt) against about 60 lt a year-ago. The total purchase in October crossed 119 lt, while it was 81.85 lt the corresponding period last year. Rice procurement in the first fortnight of October was 48.47 lt.
Official sources said higher procurement was mainly due to early harvesting in Punjab, Haryana and other States. Besides, the purchase was advanced by a few days in Punjab, Haryana from normal schedule of October 1.
Early arrival
Rice marketing season begins from October and the procurement period varies from State to State depending on the cropping pattern followed in each State. Due to early arrival of the paddy this year, the Centre allowed procuring agencies in Punjab and Haryana to begin purchase from mid-September.
Punjab, which has been the top rice contributor to the Central Pool stock, has purchased 69.39 lt until October 31, which is nearly 49 per cent higher from 46.62 lt year-ago and Haryana got 22.7 per cent more rice at 38.12 lt against 31.06 lt year-ago, official data show.
Purchase in Tamil Nadu, which started a month earlier from September 1, has more than doubled to 7.51 lt from 2.89 lt year-ago. Last year also, the procurement in Tamil Nadu had started from September 1.
Other States have contributed 4.05 lt of rice to the Central Pool, and it included 2.89 lt by Uttarakhand, 61,701 tonnes by Uttar Pradesh and 27,157 tonnes by Telangana.
The government has set a target to buy 463.49 lt of rice from the kharif-grown crop in 2025-26 marketing season (October-September), whereas the actual procurement in 2024-25 was 545.22 lt, including 36.17 lt from Haryana and 116.13 lt from Punjab.
Though rice procurement period for Haryana is up to November 15 and for Punjab is November 30, experts said the purchases may end earlier than schedule due to early harvest of the crop. The government had aimed to buy 36 lt from Haryana, but the current purchase has already exceeded the target. The procurement from Punjab this year has been set at 116 lt.
Procurement is scheduled to start from November 1 in Chhattisgarh, Odisha and Madhya Pradesh, all key contributors to the Central Pool stock, managed by FCI. Madhya Pradesh government has reportedly requested the Centre to buy directly from farmers through its own agencies.
The Agriculture Ministry is yet to release the crop estimate of kharif season and is likely to be announced early next week. Paddy acreage this kharif season was higher at record 441.58 lakh hectares (lh) as on October 3, against 435.68 lh a year-ago.
Published on November 3, 2025