Despite record offloading efforts, India's central pool rice stocks have surged to over 59 million tonnes (MT), nearly four times the buffer norm of 13.54 MT set for July 1. The high stock levels persist even after the government released 4.63 MT of rice in FY25 through various schemes, including open market sales, Bharat Rice, ethanol production, and allocations to grain-deficient states. Officials from the Food Corporation of India (FCI) noted that the current stockpile includes around 21 MT of grain still pending delivery from millers. Robust procurement, which consistently exceeds 50 MT annually, and a strong harvest have been key contributors to the accumulation, far outpacing the annual 36 MT distributed under the Public Distribution System (PDS). Food Secretary Sanjeev Chopra dismissed concerns of a storage crunch, stating that storage issues observed a few months ago have now been resolved. He added that PDS allocations will continue from June until new rice arrivals begin a few months after the procurement season starts on October 1, 2025. Paddy procured at Minimum Support Price (MSP) is handed over to millers for processing, and actual rice arrivals from the new season are expected by December. Under the extended Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Anna Yojana, 810 million beneficiaries receive 5 kg of free food grains monthly, with the scheme running until the end of 2028 at an estimated cost of ₹11.8 trillion. At the start of FY25, the economic cost of rice—including procurement, storage, and distribution—was pegged at ₹41.73/kg. Officials warn that the continued surplus could drive up carrying costs and inflate food subsidy expenditures, which are budgeted at ₹2.03 lakh crore for the year. In FY25, rice allocations included: Open Market Sale Scheme (OMSS): 1.96 MT Bharat Rice initiative: 1.31 MT Allocation to grain-deficient states: 1.12 MT Ethanol production: 0.23 MT This marks a sharp rise from FY24, when only 0.64 MT of rice was offloaded, with bulk buyers receiving just 0.19 MT under OMSS at ₹2,900 per quintal.