With rice prices rising due to a deficient and uneven monsoon, the Centre on Friday (November 7, 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.

Under a November 6 order, all traders and wholesalers, retailers, large retail chains and processors and millers in all States and Union Territories must declare stocks under six categories — Basmati rice, non-Basmati premium rice, non-Basmati rice, parboiled rice, broken rice and paddy.

Every unit holding stocks will have to update details on the Food Stock Portal (foodstock.dfpd.gov.in) every Friday, the Food Ministry said in a statement.

Units that are not registered on the portal or that violate stock limits will face action under Sections 6 and 7 of the Essential Commodities Act, 1955.

In a separate letter, also dated November 6, the Centre has given its consent 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 Centre and States will monitor implementation to ensure adequate availability and prevent hoarding and black marketing, an official statement said.

Additional rice stocks

To improve availability, the Centre 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 the southern States.

The Centre has also doubled the target for rice sales through e-auction under the Open Market Sale Scheme (Domestic) for 2026-27 from 25 lakh tonnes to 50 lakh tonnes. Around 25 lakh tonnes had been sold to private parties by October 31, compared to 11 lakh tonnes in the same period of the last year.

Trade and industry experts said deficient and uneven rainfall had contributed to rice inflation, particularly in premium non-Basmati varieties, and pushed up 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, about 12% higher than a year earlier.

Experts, however, said the situation was not a nationwide crisis.

With government rice stocks at comfortable levels, they said, pressure was sharpest in regions and grades where supplies were tight.

Premium southern varieties have seen steeper increases. Wholesale Sona Masoori was quoted at ₹65-70 per kg, up from ₹50 a month ago, according to sources.

Kharif paddy acreage for 2026-27 declined by about 4% to 42.68 million hectares, which has been attributed to deficient rainfall.

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