Strong Paddy Procurement Boosts Government Rice Stocks

23-Dec-2025 11:30 AM

New Delhi. With robust procurement of Kharif paddy continuing, the stock of rice in the central pool is steadily increasing and has now reached a new record level, approximately 12 percent higher than last year. Government warehouses already held a massive stock of rice. India remains the world's leading rice exporter and the second-largest producer.

Strong domestic production is expected to lead to a significant increase in Indian rice exports, which could put pressure on competing exporting countries such as Thailand, Vietnam, and Pakistan.

According to official data, the total stock of paddy and rice in the central pool increased to 575.70 lakh tonnes as of December 1, 2025, which is significantly higher than the minimum required quantity stipulated for January 1. Similarly, the government stock of wheat has also increased to 291.40 lakh tonnes this year, compared to 206 lakh tonnes last year.

According to available data, government agencies have procured approximately 422 lakh tonnes of paddy from farmers at the Minimum Support Price (MSP) so far in the current Kharif marketing season, and this stock is being allocated to rice millers for custom milling.

According to trade analysts, although export demand for rice is not very strong at present, the significant depreciation of the rupee is helping exporters maintain competitive export offer prices for their rice.

Despite the massive government procurement and stocks, the supply and availability of rice in the domestic market remain comfortable, and exporters are not facing any difficulty in procuring rice stocks for export purposes.