Rice procurement for the central pool in the current kharif season has crossed the 10 million tonne-mark, mainly coming from Uttar Pradesh, Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu, according to latest data from the Food Corporation of India (FCI).
With the procurement in key growing states of Chhattisgarh, Orissa, West Bengal and Bihar likely to commence in the next few weeks, the government is set to meet the current year?s record target of 35.31 mt, officials told FE.
?We will meet the target during the current year comfortably,? a food ministry official said.
According to the FCI data, state government-owned procurement agencies and FCI, since the start of the current procurement season beginning October 1, have lifted 7.6 mt in Punjab, while Haryana and Tamil Nadu have contributed 1.9 mt and 2.39 lakh tonne, respectively.
Kerala and Uttar Pradesh have contributed 80,616 tonne and 1.14 lakh tonne, respectively, while Andhra Pradesh has contributed 1.059 lakh tonne.Due to reduction in paddy acreage, rice procurement in Punjab could go down to 12 mt against 13 mt during the same period the previous year.