Rice Procurement Estimated at 495.37 Lakh Tonnes in Kharif Season of 2020-21

During ensuing KMS 2020-21, procurement estimates for Tamil Nadu and Maharashtra have jumped by 100 per cent and more, and for Madhya Pradesh, Telangana, Bihar and Jharkhand are higher by 50 per cent and more in comparison to KMS 2019-20. The leading states in terms of estimated procurement of rice are Punjab (113 lakh tonnes), Chhattisgarh (60 lakh tonnes) and Telangana (50 lakh tonnes) followed by Haryana (44 lakh tonnes), Andhra Pradesh (40 lakh tonnes), Uttar Pradesh (37 lakh tonnes) and Odisha (37 lakh tonnes).

In view of COVID-19, states have been requested to take necessary steps to ensure social distancing during procurement operations. Other issues of states regarding food subsidy were also discussed during the meeting.