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Time of India
15 hours ago
- Business
- Time of India
India's July rice stocks at record high and wheat hits four-year peak
India 's rice stocks in government warehouses rose 15% from a year ago to a record high for the start of July, while wheat stocks reached a four-year peak driven by increased farmer procurement, official data showed on Tuesday. Record rice stocks will help the world's biggest exporter increase shipments, while an improvement in wheat inventories will help the federal government to tame any price spikes later this year by increasing open market sales. Explore courses from Top Institutes in Please select course: Select a Course Category Data Analytics Cybersecurity PGDM Digital Marketing Data Science others Design Thinking CXO Data Science Operations Management Others Management Technology MCA Leadership Project Management Finance Healthcare MBA Degree healthcare Product Management Public Policy Artificial Intelligence Skills you'll gain: Data Analysis & Visualization Predictive Analytics & Machine Learning Business Intelligence & Data-Driven Decision Making Analytics Strategy & Implementation Duration: 12 Weeks Indian School of Business Applied Business Analytics Starts on Jun 13, 2024 Get Details State reserves of rice, including unmilled paddy, totalled a record 55.66 million metric tons as of July 1, far exceeding the government's target of 13.5 million tons for July 1. Wheat stocks stood at 35.9 million tons on July 1, well above the government's target of 27.6 million tons and the highest since 2021, the data showed. A New Delhi-based dealer at a global trading firm, speaking on condition of anonymity because the trader was not authorised to speak publicly, described the inventories as "alarmingly high," adding even higher exports of 2-3 million tons would do little to lower them. Live Events India, which accounts for around 40% of global rice exports, removed the last of its export curbs on the grain in March 2025. The Rice Exporters Association expects shipments from India to rise by nearly 25% from a year earlier to a record 22.5 million tons this year. Disappointing harvests in the last three years and lower purchases by the Food Corporation of India , the state-run agency that buys food grains from farmers, had pushed up prices and raised expectations that India may be forced to import wheat for the first time in seven years. This year, however, the government has procured 29.9 million tons of wheat from farmers, the most in four years, according to Food Corporation of India data. As a result, the country should be able to meet domestic demand without imports.
Indian Express
2 days ago
- Health
- Indian Express
To improve both crop and human nutrition, India needs a paradigm shift
Who would have imagined that India, which lived from 'ship to mouth' with heavy dependence on food aid under the US PL-480 programme in the 1960s, would emerge as the world's largest rice exporter? In 2024-25 (FY25), India exported 20.2 million tonnes (MT) of rice in a global market of 61 MT. The country also runs the world's largest food distribution programme, the PM-Garib Kalyan Yojana (PMGKY), which provides 5 kg of free rice or wheat per person per month to more than 800 million people. Yet, the Food Corporation of India holds about 57 MT of rice — the highest stock in 20 years and nearly four times the buffer norm of 13.54 million tonnes as of July 1, 2025. Poverty, too, has receded significantly. The extreme poverty head count (those earning less than $3/day at 2021 PPP) dropped from 27.1 per cent in 2011 to just 5.3 per cent in 2022. Notwithstanding these achievements, malnutrition amongst children remains a challenge. The National Family Health Survey (NFHS 5) (2019–21) reports that 35.5 per cent of children under five years of age are stunted, 32.1 per cent are underweight, and 19.3 per cent are wasted. Food security in India has evolved beyond merely ensuring caloric sufficiency; it must now encompass nutritional security as well. One critical, and often overlooked, factor here is the health of soils. Soil micronutrient deficiencies not only impair agricultural productivity but also degrade the nutritional quality of crops. Crops grown on nutrient-deficient soils often mirror those deficiencies, leading to a silent but pervasive form of malnutrition in humans. Take zinc. Its deficiency in soils translates into low zinc content in cereals like wheat and rice, which in turn is linked to childhood stunting — a condition that affects the physical development, long-term cognitive health, as well as the professional life of a person. Let us now turn to the status of Indian soils. Of more than 8.8 million soil samples tested under the Soil Health Card Scheme in 2024, less than 5 per cent have high or sufficient nitrogen (N), only 40 per cent have sufficient phosphate (P), 32 per cent have sufficient potash (K) and just 20 per cent are sufficient in soil organic carbon (SOC) (see graph). Importantly, SOC is a critical parameter defining the physical, chemical, and biological properties of soil — these govern its holding capacity and nutrient use efficiency. There is also a debate as to how much SOC is considered sufficient. As per the Indian Institute of Soil Science (IISC), SOC in the range of 0.50- 0.75 per cent is adequate. But the World Food Laureate, Rattan Lal, who has worked on soil health throughout his career, prescribes that the carbon content in soils should be at least 1.5 to 2 per cent. Our soils also suffer from a deficiency of sulphur, as well as micronutrients like iron, zinc and boron. These deficiencies range from moderate to severe. It won't be an exaggeration to say that many parcels of Indian soils need to be immediately taken to an intensive care unit (ICU) to restore them to normal health so that they can produce nutritious food on a sustainable basis. We have also observed that in some parts of the country, nitrogen (N) is overused while phosphorus (P) and potassium (K) are underused. For example, in Punjab, nitrogen use exceeds recommendations by 61 per cent, while potassium use is short by 89 per cent, and phosphorus use is short by 8 per cent. Telangana also mirrors this imbalance — it overuses N by 54 per cent but its use of K is 82 per cent less, and that of P is 13 per cent less. The situation is similar in several other states. The highly imbalanced use of N, P and K and the neglect of micronutrients leads to suboptimal agricultural productivity. Nationwide, the fertiliser-to-grain response ratio has declined significantly from 1:10 in the 1970s to a mere 1:2.7 in 2015. Moreover, the application of granular urea results in substantial nitrogen losses, with only 35-40 per cent of the nitrogen being absorbed by the crops. The remaining nitrogen is either released into the atmosphere as nitrous oxide — a greenhouse gas that is 273 times more potent than carbon dioxide — or leaches into groundwater, contaminating it with nitrates and making it unsafe for consumption. So, in a way, the imbalanced use of N, P and K is also increasing the pollution, rather than increasing grain yields. Additionally, a significant portion of urea is diverted to non-agricultural uses and also finds its way to neighbouring countries. This needs to change. To restore soil health and improve both crop and human nutrition, India needs a paradigm shift — from indiscriminate use of fertilisers to tailored and science-based soil nutrition management. This calls for more precise and customised fertilisation strategies, which are informed by rigorous soil testing and aligned with the nutritional needs of different soils and crops. Only when soils receive the nutrients do they produce food that nourishes rather than merely fills stomachs. This is no longer just an agricultural issue; it is a public health imperative. Recognising the urgency of this challenge, the Indian Council for Research on International Economic Relations (ICRIER) and OCP Nutricrops have committed to collaborating to improve soil health in India and beyond. OCP Nutricrops brings cutting-edge expertise in soil nutrition and fertiliser solutions aimed at addressing global challenges in sustainable food production. The collaboration aims to develop, implement, and scale region-specific, data-driven soil nutrition solutions that enhance crop productivity while improving their nutritional profile. Thus, to truly move from plate to plough — and back to plate — we must start by healing Mother Earth. Only then can we walk as a healthy nation. Gulati is distinguished professor at ICRIER, Vergutz is chief scientific officer at OCP Nutricrops, and Juneja is research fellow at ICRIER. Views are personal
Time of India
6 days ago
- Politics
- Time of India
Officials: Rice supply to Churachandpur via Mizoram stopped
1 2 Aizawl: Transportation of rice via Mizoram to Churachandpur district and other districts, which began because of ethnic strife in Manipur since May 3, 2023, has been stopped by the Aizawl divisional office of the Food Corporation of India (FCI), officials of the office said on Thursday. The officials said rice for distribution under the public distribution scheme transported via Mizoram began in June 2023. It was stopped in April this year after food supplies could be transported from Assam to Churachandpur district via Jiribam and Imphal. At least 3.22 lakh quintals of rice have been transported to Churachandpur district during the period, the officials said. FCI officials in Mizoram said internally displaced people of Manipur taking shelter in the state continue to receive rice through 'One Nation, One Ration Card scheme' without any issues. "The problem in transportation of rice directly from Assam to Churachandpur via Imphal resumed after law and order was restored following imposition of President's rule in the neighbouring state," a FCI official said, adding peace has been partially restored resulting in the re-establishment of road communication in Manipur. Meanwhile, officials said though the transportation of rice has been disrupted often due to poor road conditions — particularly between Kawnpui and Sairang section of the National Highway 06 — monsoon stockpiling efforts to ensure food availability for at least three months have been vigorously pursued. Currently, there is enough rice stock to last at least for four to five months at present, the FCI officials said.
Indian Express
6 days ago
- Business
- Indian Express
Why Govt has offered wheat and rice for sale in open market, but at a higher price than last year
The central government has increased the reserve prices of wheat and rice to be offloaded to private traders from its strategic reserves by about 11 per cent and 3 per cent respectively over the last fiscal (2024-25). Reserve price is the minimum price at which the Food Corporation of India (FCI) – the statutory body that procures, stores, and distributes foodgrains through the Public Distribution System (PDS) – sells from the Central Pool under the Open Market Sale Scheme-Domestic (OMSS-D). The scheme is used by FCI to offer grains, mainly wheat and rice, in the open market by e-auction as a mechanism to ensure supply and control food inflation. Why is the increase in the reserve price of India's main cereals important? The new reserve prices The Department of Food and Public Distribution (DFPD) under the Ministry of Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution, which has fixed the reserve prices of wheat and rice, has not announced what quantities of these grains will be sold in the open market. That will be decided by FCI. WHEAT: On July 10, the DFPD fixed a reserve price of Rs 2,550 per quintal for wheat to be sold to private parties through e-auctions; central cooperative organisations (such as NAFED, NCCF, and Kendriya Bhandar) for sale under the 'Bharat' brand; and to community kitchens. This reserve price is for wheat of all crop years including the current rabi marketing season (RMS) 2025-26, and will be valid until June 30 next year. It is 10.86 per cent higher than the reserve price fixed in the last fiscal (2024-25), which was Rs 2,300 per quintal. RICE: The reserve price of rice has been fixed in the range of Rs 2,320 to Rs 3090 per quintal, depending on who the buyer is. The existing reserve prices of rice will continue until October 31. From November 1, the reserve price of rice containing 25 per cent broken grains for sale to private parties and cooperatives/ cooperative federations by e-auction will be Rs 2,890 per quintal. This is 3.21 per cent more than the existing reserve price of Rs 2,800 per quintal. The reserve price of rice for sale to state governments and their corporations, and to ethanol distilleries for production of ethanol will increase to Rs 2,320 per quintal from the existing Rs 2,250 per quintal. And the reserve price for sale of custom milled rice (CMR) with 10% broken rice under the Rice Milling Transformation Scheme in the open market to private parties through e-auction has been raised to Rs 3,090 per quintal from Rs 3,000 per quintal. COARSE GRAINS: The reserve price for the sale of bajra to private parties through e-auction has been fixed at Rs 2,775 per quintal, ragi at Rs 4,886 per quintal, jowar at Rs 3,749 per quintal, and maize at Rs 2,400 per quintal. Why the increase in prices The Ministry has said that the 3 per cent increase in the reserve price of rice is in line with the increase in the minimum support price (MSP) of paddy. The MSP for paddy (common) and paddy (Grade A) have been fixed at Rs 2,369 and Rs 2,389 per quintal – 3 per cent higher than the last season. However, the increase in the reserve price of wheat is higher than the increase in its MSP. The MSP for wheat was increased by 6.59 per cent – to Rs 2,425 per quintal for RMS 2025-26 from Rs 2,275 per quintal in 2024-25. BUMPER CROP, BETTER PROCUREMENT: Wheat production reached a record high of 117 million tonnes in 2024-25, the third advance estimates of production of foodgrains released by the Agriculture Ministry on May 28 show. Government procurement for the central pool too was higher compared to the previous season. In the current RMS 2025-26, wheat procurement had reached 30 million tonnes by July 6, higher than the 26.5 million tonnes of last year. SUFFICIENT STOCKS: India's granaries are full. Rice stocks are at record levels, and wheat stocks are at their highest level in the last four years. According to FCI data, 37.9 million tonnes of rice and 36.9 million tonnes of wheat was available in the central pool as on June 1. Another 32.2 million tonnes of unmilled paddy (rice in husk) and 0.45 million tonnes of coarse grains were available. With an encouraging outlook for kharif in view of higher sowing and a good monsoon, the government has the scope to offload wheat and rice in the open market. This will also keep in check the inflationary trends in foodgrains. Harikishan Sharma, Senior Assistant Editor at The Indian Express' National Bureau, specializes in reporting on governance, policy, and data. He covers the Prime Minister's Office and pivotal central ministries, such as the Ministry of Agriculture & Farmers' Welfare, Ministry of Cooperation, Ministry of Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution, Ministry of Rural Development, and Ministry of Jal Shakti. His work primarily revolves around reporting and policy analysis. In addition to this, he authors a weekly column titled "STATE-ISTICALLY SPEAKING," which is prominently featured on The Indian Express website. In this column, he immerses readers in narratives deeply rooted in socio-economic, political, and electoral data, providing insightful perspectives on these critical aspects of governance and society. ... Read More
The Hindu
7 days ago
- Sport
- The Hindu
FCI's cricket tourney ends, Telangana emerges winner
As part of the Sports and Cultural Promotion initiative of the Food Corporation of India (FCI), the eighth Inter-Regional Cricket Tournament (South Zone), organised by the Regional Office, Amaravati, concluded on July 16. Six teams, representing Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Kerala and the Zonal Office (South), participated in the tournament. The matches were conducted in a single round-robin format. By the end of the first day, the teams from Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Tamil Nadu, and Karnataka advanced to the semi-finals. Following the semi-final matches held on July 16, the Andhra Pradesh and Telangana teams qualified for the finals. In the final match, Andhra Pradesh batted first and scored 140 runs for the loss of 7 wickets in 20 overs. Telangana successfully chased the target in 17.1 overs, emerging as champions of the tournament. Vijay Kumar Yadav, General Manager of FCI Andhra Pradesh, was the chief guest. Ravindra Duhan, Assistant Labour Commissioner of Andhra Pradesh was also present.
