Procurement ample to face any unforeseen situation, especially with El Nino likely to emerge after June
India’s rice purchase for the Central Pool stock, done through the Food Corporation of India, during the October 2025-January 2026 period, was 42.95 million tonnes (mt), up by 3.7 per cent from 41.41 mt a year ago.
Experts believe the purchase in the first four months of the procurment season is good to face unforeseen eventuality amid concerns over likely emergence of El Nino during the monsoon season. Drought-bearing El Nino leads to drought or prolonged dry periods in India.
The government is yet to devise a permanent offtake policy to dispose of the surplus as the purchases have been exceeding the annual requirement for the public distribution system continuously. The ad hoc arrangement of diverting some quantity for ethanol has affected the sugarcane sector as lower ethanol purchase has led to reappearance of cane arrears for the farmers this year, experts said.
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