A big jump in procurement in Punjab and Haryana during second half of October in 2024-25 season (October-September) has helped the government narrow the difference with the rice purchased year-ago. The official rice procurement reached 84.24 lakh tonnes (lt) so far, down by 20 per cent from 105.51 lt until October 31, 2023.

The purchases were 48 per cent lower at 20.7 lt in until October 15, whereas in the second fortnight over 63 lt rice was procured by the Centre.

According to official data, the rice procurement in Punjab, the largest contributor of the grain to the Central Pool stock, has reached 48.94 lt until October 31, down 25 per cent from 65.11 lt year-ago.

“As high as 15 lt was purchased in the week after October 15 and 28 lt during October 24-31. The state has the infrastructure and since the rice miller issue has been resolved, the progress is on track and the current difference with year-ago was due to delay in resolving the issue in the first fortnight,” said an official involved in procurement.

“We hope to meet the target by buying another 75 lt this month and in case there will be a need we will seek extension of procurement period for a few more days beyond November 30,” said a state government official.

In Haryana, where the procurement period is set to end in another 15 days, the government has purchased 31.06 lt until October 31, which is 12 per cent lower from 35.36 lt year-ago.

“Though procurement has slowed down in past week as nearly 80 per cent of the target has already been purchased, there will not be any issue to buy another 9-10 lt in next 15 days in Haryana,” the official source said.

Union Food Minister Pralhad Joshi on October 27 had assured that every grain in the current rice procurement season in Punjab would be procured.

The government has set a target to buy 485.11 lt of rice from the Kharif-grown crop in 2024-25 marketing season (October-September) from across the country whereas the target was 521.27 lt for 2023-24. The total rice procurement was 525.37 lt from both kharif and rabi crops in 2023-24 and 569.4 lt in 2022-23.

Procurement in Haryana began from September 27 and in Tamil Nadu from September 1, while it commenced from October 1 in Punjab and west Uttar Pradesh. The purchase in east Uttar Pradesh, though has commenced, there is hardly any arrival there as the crop is harvested in November in the region.

The rice purchase in Tamil Nadu is down by 5.6 per cent to 2.89 lt from 3.06 lt year-ago. The Centre has allowed consumer cooperative NCCF also to buy rice in the state for the Central Pool stock.

Uttar Pradesh has seen the purchases at 38,390 tonne as against 42,447 tonne in the corresponding period last year.

The agriculture ministry is yet to release the crop estimate of kharif season. Paddy acreage this kharif season, was 2.5 per cent higher at 414.50 lakh hectares (lh) as on September 27 from 404.50 lh year-ago.

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