Floods wrecked farms; govt says food prices won't surge

Government also monitoring 38 essential food items through 555 reporting centres daily

- Dhirendra Kumar & Rhik Kundu

Despite floods destroying farms and farmers sowing less, the government is confident that it can keep food prices under control, at least until July 2026.

At a meeting last week, the consumer affairs ministry assured the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) that food prices would remain stable through July 2026, two people familiar with the matter said. Officials told the RBI that the government was prepared to intervene if inflationary pressures emerged.

“The ministry is well-positioned to step in if prices show signs of spiking,” said one of the people cited above, who requested anonymity, pointing to improved forecasting tools and sufficient buffer stocks as safeguards against volatility.