Amid the price rise, the center ordered rice, paddy stock declaration

Every unit having stock will have to update the details on the Food Stock Portal every Friday, the food ministry said in a statement. | Photo credit: M. Srinath

With rice prices on the rise due to a deficient and uneven monsoon, the Center on Friday (Nov 07, 2026) directed traders, retailers, wholesalers, processors and millers across the country to declare their rice and paddy stocks and allowed five southern states to impose stock limits to prevent hoarding.

According to the November 6 order, all traders and wholesalers, retailers, large retail chains and processors and millers in all states and Union Territories must declare stocks in six categories – Basmati rice, premium non-basmati rice, non-basmati rice, parboiled rice, broken rice and paddy rice.

Each unit having stock will have to update the details on the Food Stock Portal (foodstock.dfpd.gov.in) every Friday, the food department said in a statement.

Units not registered on the portal or in violation of stock limits will face action under Sections 6 and 7 of the Commodities Act, 1955.

In a separate letter, also dated November 6, the Center gave approval to Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Kerala, Tamil Nadu and Telangana to impose stock limits on paddy and rice through control orders.

The limits will remain in force till January 31, 2027. The Center and states will monitor the implementation to ensure adequate availability and prevent hoarding and black marketing, an official statement said.

Additional supplies of rice

To improve availability, the Center is allocating additional rice stocks to NAFED, NCCF and Kendriya Bhandar for sale as Bharat Rice and has asked them to explore all possible distribution channels, especially in southern states.

The Center has also doubled the target for sale of rice through e-auction under the Open Market (Domestic) Sale Scheme for 2026-27 from 25 million tonnes to 50 million tonnes. Around 25 million tonnes were sold to private parties through October 31, compared with 11 million tonnes in the same period last year.

Trade and industry experts said insufficient and uneven rainfall has contributed to rice inflation, especially in premium non-Basmati varieties, and increased paddy prices in several markets.

Retail rice inflation rose to 8.25% year-on-year in September from 5.89% in August, with the average retail price at around ₹48.23 per kg, up 12% from a year earlier.

However, experts said this is not a national crisis.

With government rice stocks at comfortable levels, they said, the pressure was most acute in regions and classes where supplies were limited.

Premium southern varieties saw a steeper increase. Wholesale Sona Masoori was quoted at ₹65-70 per kg, up from ₹50 a month ago, sources said.

Kharif paddy area in 2026-27 declined by about 4% to 42.68 million hectares, which was attributed to deficient rainfall.

Trade estimates put rice production in 2026-27 at around 147 million tonnes, compared with a record 154 million tonnes in 2025-26.

Published – 07 Nov 2026 03:20 IST