Government Procurement of Paddy Begins in Punjab, Haryana, and Himachal Pradesh

Chandigarh: Government agencies have commenced the procurement of paddy from farmers at the Minimum Support Price (MSP) for the central pool in states such as Punjab, Haryana, and Himachal Pradesh. Procurement was permitted to begin in Haryana on September 29, while the process started on October 1 in Punjab and Himachal Pradesh. Although the pace of procurement is currently slow, it is expected to pick up speed soon.

The Central Government has set a target to procure a total of 719.50 lakh tonnes of paddy nationwide during the current 2026-27 Kharif marketing season. Of this, 273,356 tonnes had been procured by October 5, which is equivalent to 183,148 tonnes of rice. It is worth noting that the government's total paddy procurement target is equivalent to 482.30 lakh tonnes of rice. Paddy is cultivated early in states like Punjab, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Western Uttar Pradesh, and Tamil Nadu; consequently, harvesting and preparation begin earlier there compared to other major producing states.

Tamil Nadu has contributed the largest share to the paddy procured by October 5 (equivalent to 182,973 tonnes of rice). Procurement figures stand at 165 tonnes of rice equivalent in Himachal Pradesh and 10 tonnes in Punjab. Procurement in Tamil Nadu had already begun in the second fortnight of September.

In the coming period, paddy procurement will commence in other major producing states, including Chhattisgarh, Telangana, Odisha, Andhra Pradesh, Bihar, and Madhya Pradesh. Paddy is cultivated in almost all states across the country.