Strong start to FCI's paddy procurement programme

KHARIF PADDY PROCUREMENT by the Food Corporation of India (FCI) and state government agencies has got off to a brisk start since commencement of Minimum Support Price (MSP) operations, due to the early arrival of the crop this year.

- SANDIP DAS

Till Monday, 8.81 million tonne (MT) of the cereal were purchased from farmers in the ongoing 2025-26 kharif season (October-September), which is 96% higher than a year ago. Of course, these are still early days to assess the pace of procurement.

In Punjab, the biggest contributors to central pool, agencies have purchased 3.21 MT of paddy till Monday which was 224% more than the same period previous year.

MSP purchase of paddy had commenced on September 15 in Punjab, earlier than the usual October 1. The state is likely to contribute 17.5 MT of paddy to central pool stock.

In Haryana, agencies have procured 4.42 MT of grains under the MSP operation which was 41% more than previous year.