Rice Prices

Odisha Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi asked the Food Supplies and Consumer Welfare Department to provide three months of rice in advance to the beneficiaries of the Public Distribution System (PDS). Majhi issued this direction after he reviewed rice distribution under the Public Distribution System, the chief minister's office (CMO) said in a statement on Tuesday. The chief minister's direction is significant as it came after allegation of delayed rice distribution among people at Mandipanka village in Daringbadi block of Kandhamal district. Two women died and six others fell ill in the village after consuming mango kernel gruel allegedly due to scarcity of foodgrains. As per the chief minister's instructions, each beneficiary of the National Food Security Act and State Food Security Scheme will get 15 kg of rice for three months (October to December). Although the rice distribution process started from October 1, about 40 lakh families have not received rice yet. Therefore, th

Direct seeding of rice is a cultivation method where paddy seeds are planted directly into the soil, eliminating the need for nursery growth and transplanting, which require fully watered conditions

Ministers to review rice export restrictions amid rising central pool stocks and growing ethanol demand as non-basmati traders hit hardest since curbs began in August 2023

India's 5% broken parboiled variety was quoted at $528-$536 per ton this week, down from last week's $538-$546. Prices hit a record high of $560 last month

The government has no proposal to resume sale of subsidised rice to grain-based distilleries for the production of ethanol, Food Secretary Sanjeev Chopra said. "Since July last year, rice has not been diverted for ethanol production. There is no proposal as of now to revisit that policy," Chopra told reporters on Thursday. He was responding to questions on whether the government plans to resume the sale of subsidised rice for ethanol in the near future amid reports of likely fall in sugar production in the 2024-25 season (October-September). The rice sale for ethanol makers was discontinued for various reasons, including apprehensions about domestic output and high retail prices, and economic unviability, he said. On the impact on investments on grain-based distilleries, Chopra said, "This is not a policy which is cast in stone. This policy will be renewed... Maize is being encouraged for ethanol production." As of now, there is a huge jump in ethanol made from maize. About 50 cro

The paper calls for better post-harvesting facilities for quicker adoption of DSR technique

The government hopes to sell 15 lakh tonnes each of FCI rice and wheat flour (atta) under the 'Bharat' brand in the next 4-5 months, Food Secretary Sanjeev Chopra said on Thursday. The government is retailing Bharat atta and rice through three agencies -- National Agricultural Cooperative Marketing Federation of India Ltd (Nafed), National Cooperative Consumers' Federation of India Ltd (NCCF) and Kendriya Bhandar. The government started retailing of 'Bharat Atta' since November last year, while sale of 'Bharat rice' commenced from February 6 in order to keep prices under check. State-run Food Corporation of India (FCI) is providing the grains to these agencies for retail purposes. Briefing the media, the Secretary said, "after the introduction of Bharata atta, prices are stable in the market... We are thinking as it has an impact on atta, similarly Bharat rice will ensure moderation in prices." Bharat Rice sale quantity is low at present but it will pick up in the coming days, he

Any such move could add to the rally in benchmark Asian rice prices, which are hovering near a 15-year high after India began restricting sales of key varieties in 2023

At present, parboiled rice exports attract an export duty of 20 per cent that was imposed in August 2023

Rice procurement for the central pool remains sub-par for the 2023-24 season starting in October due to slow purchases in Chhattisgarh, Telangana and Madhya Pradesh

The Food and Agriculture Organization's (FAO) price index, which tracks the most globally traded food commodities, averaged 118.5 points in December, down 1.5% from November

In order to check rice inflation, the government is considering a proposal to sell FCI rice under the 'Bharat' brand but the discounted rate has not yet been decided, a food ministry official said. The ministry's efforts to check retail rice prices by boosting domestic availability through sale of FCI rice via e-auction under the Open Market Sale Scheme (OMSS) has received a lukewarm response. "There is a proposal to retail 'Bharat rice' but the price has not yet been decided," the official told PTI on Wednesday. Under the OMSS, the Food Corporation of India (FCI) is offering quality rice at a reserve price of Rs 29 per kg. "Whether to sell Bharat rice at the same rate or reduced rate, the decision has to be taken by the Group of Ministers," the official added. The government is already selling wheat flour (atta) and pulses under the Bharat brand through outlets managed by the National Agricultural Cooperative Marketing Federation of India (NAFED), National Cooperative Consumers' .

In order to check rice inflation, the government is considering a proposal to sell FCI rice under the 'Bharat' brand but the discounted rate has not yet been decided, a food ministry official said on Wednesday. The ministry's efforts to check retail rice prices by boosting domestic availability through sale of FCI rice via e-auction under the Open Market Sale Scheme (OMSS) has received a lukewarm response. "There is a proposal to retail 'Bharat rice' but the price has not yet been decided," the official told PTI. Under the OMSS, the Food Corporation of India (FCI) is offering quality rice at a reserve price of Rs 29 per kg. "Whether to sell Bharat rice at the same rate or reduced rate, the decision has to be taken by the Group of Ministers," the official added. The government is already selling wheat flour (atta) and pulses under the Bharat brand through outlets managed by the National Agricultural Cooperative Marketing Federation of India (NAFED), National Cooperative Consumers' .

The government has sold 3.46 lakh tonnes of wheat and 13,164 tonnes of rice through e-auctions to bulk consumers as part of its effort to boost domestic supplies and control retail prices. The government is selling wheat and rice from its buffer stocks to keep retail prices under control under the Open Market Sale Scheme (OMSS). Food Corporation of India (FCI), the government's nodal agency for food grains procurement and distribution, is conducting the e-auctions. The Centre has allocated 101.5 lakh tonnes of wheat for the OMSS till March 2024. "The 26th e-auction was held on December 20 wherein 4 lakh tonnes wheat and 1.93 lakh tonnes rice was offered. In the e-auction, 3.46 lakh tonnes wheat and 13,164 tonnes rice was sold at a weighted average of Rs 2,178.24 per quintal for wheat and Rs 2905.40 per quintal for rice," an official statement said. To control the retail prices of rice, wheat and atta, the government is organising weekly e-auctions of both wheat and rice. The minim

This month, Reuters reported that India signed contracts to export about 500,000 metric tonnes of new season basmati rice, indicating brisk overseas sales of the premium aromatic variety

The Centre has already clamped down on the export of rice from India and imposed hefty import duties on some other variants, thus wiping off almost 40 per cent of supplies from the world rice markets

Initial production estimate of other crops too expected to be less than last year

Duty woes: Basmati rice exports down 30% from Aug 25 to Sep 20

The export ban is bringing back memories of 2008, when a global rice crisis put 100 million people at risk, many in sub-Saharan Africa

Rice is vital to the diets of billions and contributes as much as 60% of the total calorie intake for people in parts of Southeast Asia and Africa