India: FCI set to launch direct rice sales to public on 14 November 2025

The Food Corporation of India (FCI) is set to launch direct sales of rice to consumers for the first time, beginning 14 November at Delhi’s annual trade fair. The initiative will feature premium and parboiled rice and is aimed at assessing consumer feedback as the government explores retail-level grain sales to manage surplus stocks. The move comes as FCI looks to liquidate its large central pool inventory, which stood at 44.96 million tonnes (mnt) of rice as of 1 October, including 13.92 mnt in the form of paddy. The volume is more than four times the prescribed buffer norm of 10.25 mnt. With cooperative retail chains showing limited traction in offloading surplus, FCI is testing direct consumer engagement as an alternative channel. A similar effort at the recent World Food India exhibition in Delhi saw 100 t of rice sold to visitors, encouraging officials to replicate the model at the upcoming trade fair. Parallel to the retail experiment, FCI has rolled out a flexible bulk sale ...