Patna: Bihar’s food and consumer protection minister Ashok Choudhary on Monday urged Centre to raise the state’s paddy procurement target for the kharif marketing season 2026-27 from 35 lakh metric tonnes to 50 lakh metric tonnes, saying the existing allocation does not reflect rising production, improved procurement performance or the state’s foodgrain requirement.Choudhary wrote to Union consumer affairs, food and public distribution minister Prahlad Joshi, seeking early approval for the enhanced target. He said govt of India has fixed Bihar’s procurement target at 35 lakh metric tonnes for 2026-27, with procurement scheduled from Nov 1, 2026, to March 31, 2027.In the letter, Choudhary argued that paddy production in Bihar has been increasing steadily in recent years, but the procurement target as a share of estimated output has continued to fall. He said the state’s procurement capacity has also improved significantly. Against the targets set by Centre, Bihar procured 68.42% in 2023-24, 87.18% in 2024-25 and 99.84% in 2025-26, demonstrating its ability to meet assigned targets effectively.Referring to a Sept 1 meeting chaired by the Union food secretary on procurement targets for states, Choudhary said the current method, based on average procurement achievement of the previous three years, is limiting Bihar’s target despite increased production and farmers’ capacity. He requested that Bihar’s target be determined on the basis of estimated paddy production rather than past procurement averages.The minister said a higher target would allow more farmers to sell their produce at Minimum Support Price (MSP) fixed by Centre. He warned that if the target remains at 35 lakh metric tonnes, many farmers could be deprived of MSP benefits during the procurement season.Choudhary also linked the request to Bihar’s annual foodgrain requirement. He said about 33.16 lakh metric tonnes of rice are needed every year for distribution through Public Distribution System under National Food Security Act (NFSA), equivalent to nearly 48.87 lakh metric tonnes of paddy. Bihar is now capable of procuring this quantity locally, he said, adding that a target aligned with actual need would make the state more self-reliant in foodgrains and reduce additional transport costs incurred in bringing rice from other states.He said the current target is inadequate not only for NFSA supplies but also for other govt schemes. A higher procurement ceiling would strengthen local purchasing and better protect farmers’ access to Centre’s MSP.
