Government rice procurement rises beyond 33.3 million tonnes

02-Jan-2026 12:19 PM

New Delhi: Official data show that government procurement of rice for the central pool during the first quarter of the current Kharif Marketing Season—October to December 2025—has increased to 33.372 million tonnes. This is higher by 2.112 million tonnes, or about 7 percent, compared with 31.26 million tonnes procured during the same period last year. The central government has set a procurement target of 46.3419 million tonnes of rice for the entire Kharif Marketing Season, of which about 72 percent has already been achieved. It may be recalled that during the full 2024–25 marketing season, a total of 54.522 million tonnes of rice was procured nationwide for the central pool.

Although rice procurement has declined in states such as Punjab, Chhattisgarh, and Odisha, it has risen unexpectedly in states like West Bengal and Tamil Nadu. In addition, Andhra Pradesh and Telangana have also recorded a healthy increase in rice procurement.

Interestingly, while the government procurement season for paddy usually begins in October, this year the government allowed procurement to start as early as mid-September in Punjab and Haryana. Meanwhile, in Tamil Nadu, government procurement of paddy from farmers began as early as September 1. As a result, total rice procurement in this southern state surged by 179 percent, rising from 0.362 million tonnes last year to 1.009 million tonnes this year. Similarly, government rice procurement increased in Telangana from 2.825 million tonnes to 3.596 million tonnes, and in Andhra Pradesh from 1.082 million tonnes to 2.265 million tonnes.

It may be noted that, in practice, paddy is currently being procured, which is later converted into its rice equivalent. In West Bengal, paddy equivalent to 1.027 million tonnes of rice has already been procured.