Poor monsoon fails to hamper govt’s rice procurement drive

Punjab and Haryana, the key contributors to the central pool, have also reported increase in procurement by Food Corporation of India (FCI) and state government owned agencies. With the procurement season in these two states virtually over, the government agencies have purchased more rice from farmers in comparison to last year.

Till Thursday, agencies in Punjab have lifted 8.5 million tonne of rice against only 7.6 mt purchased in the previous year. Similarly, Haryana has contributed 2.5 mt of rice to central pool against about 2 mt reported in the previous year.

“Because of open-ended policy adopted by the government, we have managed to procure more rice in deficient rainfall areas of Punjab and Haryana,” a FCI official told FE. In total, FCI and state agencies have lifted more than 13.6 mt of rice across the country, which is an increase of about 5% from the previous year.

Andhra Pradesh, the biggest contributor to the central pool last year, has contributed more than 7 lakh tonne of rice against 8 lakh tonne reported during the same period last year.

As the government has increased rice procurement target for 2012-13 to 40 mt from 35 mt reported in the previous year, Andhra Pradesh is expected to contribute more than 9.6 mt rice to central pool against only 5 mt procured in the last year. Andhra Pradesh grows rice both in kharif and

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