The Government has procured 25.1 million tonnes of rice since October last year, nearly 1 per cent less than the year-ago period.
The Food Corporation of India (FCI), the nodal agency for procurement and distribution of foodgrains, purchased 25.26 mt in the corresponding period of the 2009-10 marketing year (October-September). It had procured 32 mt of rice in the entire 2009-10 marketing year.
Arrivals of paddy have declined marginally to 39.89 mt so far this year from 39.97 mt in the same period last year.
In Andhra Pradesh, rice procurement stands at 4.07 mt so far this crop year against 3.71 mt in the same period of the previous year. Similarly, procurement has risen to 3.49 mt in Chhattisgarh (3.02 mt).
In contrast, procurement in Punjab — which is the largest contributor to the central pool — has declined to 8.63 mt so far this year compared with 9.28 mt in the same period of the previous year. Likewise, procurement in Orissa dipped to 1.55 mt from 1.8 mt.
According to the Agriculture Ministry’s second advance estimates, the country is expected to produce 94.01 mt of rice in 2010-11 crop year against 89.09 mt last year.