40 lakh tonnes of rice on the move in Punjab: What’s govt trying to fix?

The central government is set to address the ongoing issue of slow paddy procurement in Punjab due to a shortage of storage space. Over the next three to four months, the Centre will move around 40 lakh tonnes of rice from the state to other rice-consuming regions, and plans are underway to create additional space for another 20 lakh tonnes, ToI reported. This move aims to ease the storage crunch and ensure smooth paddy procurement for farmers.

The Food Corporation of India (FCI) will begin weekly transportation of rice stocks from Punjab to other states, helping free up space in the state’s warehouses.

This decision follows a meeting between Union Food Minister Prahlad Joshi and Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann, where Mann raised concerns about the lack of storage facilities. He highlighted how the shortage was affecting paddy procurement from mandis (local markets), leading to frustration among farmers. In response, Joshi assured that the Centre would act swiftly to move surplus stocks and ensure that the targeted 120 lakh tonnes of paddy from Punjab would be procured.

We are committed to solving this issue, and evacuating surplus rice stocks from Punjab and Haryana is our top priority,” Joshi said. He added that the government has already submitted a plan to move foodgrains from Punjab to other states. Officials are also exploring the possibility of using wheat storage godowns in the state to temporarily store surplus rice, TOI reported.

So far, during the current marketing season, around 23 lakh tonnes of paddy have been procured from Punjab, which is nearly 38% less than the 37 lakh tonnes procured during the same period last year. Punjab remains the largest contributor to the central foodgrain pool.

Additionally, the Centre has approved the creation of 20 lakh tonnes of new storage capacity under the Private Entrepreneurs Guarantee Scheme, with the state government expected to float tenders soon for this project.

Till now, FCI and state agencies have procured 63 lakh tonnes of paddy from farmers in Punjab, Haryana, and Tamil Nadu, a decrease of around 26% compared to the 85.2 lakh tonnes procured during the same period last year.

Every year, the FCI supplies around 380 lakh tonnes of rice to approximately 80 crore beneficiaries under the PM Garib Kalyan Anna Yojana, making timely procurement and storage critical for India’s food security program.

This article has been republished from The Economic Times