Government's paddy procurement up 9% at 306 lakh tonnes so far this year

The government's paddy procurement for the central pool rose over nine per cent to 306.06 lakh tonnes so far in the ongoing 2022-23 Kharif marketing season, according to the food ministry data.

Higher quantities of paddy were purchased from Punjab, Haryana, Chhattisgarh and Telangana.

Normally, paddy procurement begins immediately after the withdrawal of the Southwest monsoon from October onwards. However in southern states, especially in Kerala and Tamil Nadu, it begins in September.