There is a possibility of a serious crisis in the safe storage of rice

05-Nov-2025 03:57 PM

New Delhi. The Food Corporation of India (FCIA) already has a large stock of rice, while the procurement of Kharif paddy has now begun in full swing.

Meanwhile, the release of this crucial food grain from the central pool is not meeting expectations. Consequently, in the coming months, when rice millers make heavy deliveries of custom-milled rice (CMR), a serious crisis in its safe storage may arise.

According to official data, in the current Kharif marketing season, by October 31, 2025, the government had procured paddy equivalent to more than 11.9 million tonnes of rice at the national level, while the procurement process is yet to begin in states like Chhattisgarh,

Madhya Pradesh, Telangana, Odisha, Bihar, and Andhra Pradesh. Last year, by October 31, only 8.185 million tonnes of rice equivalent had been procured. Paddy procurement is underway in states like Punjab, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, and Tamil Nadu.

The above data shows that government procurement of paddy is increasing significantly compared to last year, which could lead to a significant increase in rice stocks.

There is insufficient storage space in warehouses for safe storage. The government has planned to withdraw 10 million tons of rice from its stock for various purposes, of which 6.1 million tons have already been lifted.

Under this plan, rice is being supplied for the Open Market Sales Scheme, state-level welfare schemes, ethanol production, and the Bharat Brand Sales Scheme.

However, due to the availability of sufficient stocks in the open market, the pace of government rice procurement is somewhat slow.

The government has slightly reduced the target for rice procurement for the central pool, but it appears that actual procurement will exceed the target.