Odisha to Auction 100,000 Tonnes of Surplus Rice; Launches MAPY Food Scheme

06 Apr 2026, 09:05 by Vinay Kakkad · KalingaTV

In response to an unprecedented surplus of rice stocks, the Odisha government has launched a dual strategy: selling huge amounts of surplus rice on the open market and dramatically expanding its state-funded welfare net. The state Cabinet, headed by Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi, faced a massive 202,000 tonnes of leftover rice—so they approved auctioning off 100,000 tonnes in the open market. The Odisha State Civil Supplies Corporation (OSCSC) will handle these sales, sticking to the Food Corporation of India’s pricing rules. If selling at these rates means the state loses money, well, the government’s promised to cover those losses. The goal is to clear out storage before the next harvest rolls in.

This surplus comes after a record procurement season: Odisha bought up 7.345 million tonnes of paddy during kharif and 1.918 million tonnes during rabi, totalling around 6.337 million tonnes of rice. Even with the Centre boosting its procurement target to 5.8 million tonnes for 2024-25 and the FCI taking 2.8 million tonnes for the central pool, there was still 537,000 tonnes left. Some of that got used for local needs and tribal distributions, but not enough—so the government saw the need to push even harder to liquidate stocks before they spoil.

To speed things up and boost social support, Odisha’s also launched the Mukhyamantri Annapurna Yojana (MAPY), a big new food security drive. Through this scheme, every person covered under the National Food Security Act (NFSA) and the State Food Security Scheme (SFSS) will get an extra 5 kg of rice per month for free—on top of what they already receive. That means people’s rice entitlement doubles to 10 kg per person monthly, reaching more than 32.8 million people in over 10 million families.

Pulling this off is a massive logistical and financial task. The state expects to spend about ₹8,813 crore a year—roughly ₹734 crore every month—completely from its own funds to support MAPY. Distributing nearly 164,000 tonnes of rice a month is no small feat either. By blending these bulk welfare handouts with open-market auctions, Odisha hopes to keep rice moving and storage clear, making sure people stay food secure while staying on top of one of its biggest crop yields ever.