Government Procurement of Rice

03-May-2025 11:36 AM

Government Procurement of Rice
★ In the 2024-25 marketing year, as of April 2025, the government has procured a total of 471.94 lakh tonnes of rice, including 11 lakh tonnes from the Rabi crop. This is slightly higher than last year’s procurement of 471.14 lakh tonnes.
★ The buffer stock requirement is 135.8 lakh tonnes, and the annual demand for the Public Distribution System (PDS) and welfare schemes is around 400 lakh tonnes. The government is considering using the surplus stock for ethanol production.
★ As of April 1, the central pool held 382.09 lakh tonnes of rice and 371.51 lakh tonnes of paddy, compared to 301.57 and 343.24 lakh tonnes, respectively, a year ago.
★ Since the Kharif season began on October 1, 2024, a total of 686.10 lakh tonnes of paddy has been procured, slightly down from 687.09 lakh tonnes last year.
★ Rice procurement in key states (lakh tonnes):
* Odisha: 40.1 (last year 36.4)
* Andhra Pradesh: 15.3 (14.1)
* Tamil Nadu: 16 (15)
* Bihar: 26.3 (20.6)
* Uttar Pradesh: 38.6 (35.8)
* Madhya Pradesh: 29.2 (28.2)
* Punjab: 116.3 (124.3)
* Haryana: 36 (39.5)
* Chhattisgarh: 70 (83.2)
★ With a high stock in the central pool, good production, and weak export demand, rice prices were under pressure for a long time. However, due to declining stocks in many rice-exporting countries, exports from India are expected to rise, which could support prices.