Panjab Excluded from Open Market Sale Scheme; Farmers Underselling ‘Moong’

July

2026

The union government introduced a revised pricing structure for states under the Open Market Sale Scheme (OMSS) for 2026–27. It excluded surplus states such as Panjab, Haryana, and Uttar Pradesh from the e-auction process. The order stated that ‘the sale of rice to state governments under the OMSS is restricted only to non-surplus states that require additional rice to meet the requirements of their own notified schemes’. Panjab holds the largest stock of rice in India. Panjab’s Principal Secretary for Food Supplies, Rahul Tewari, said that the state government has sought a clarification from the union government as to why Panjab has been excluded from the scheme and why it has no benefit for the state, adding the decision is detrimental to the interest of the state. Panjab has huge food grain stocks of 18 MMT rice and 13.5 MMT wheat from 2025, which have choked the godowns in the state. The Panjab Rice Industry Association had repeatedly told the union government and the Food Corporation of India that Panjab be included in the OMSS e-auctions so that rice millers could dispose of their accumulated stocks of broken rice. Additionally, as harvesting of summer moong (green gram) picks up in Panjab, the crop is once again fetching prices 18% below the Minimum Support Price of USD 91.75 per quintal for the fourth consecutive year. Experts say that the harvesting of the crop coincides with the monsoon leading to high moisture content and discoloration which lowers the crop’s market value. Moong was cultivated on nearly 100K acres across various districts in 2026—up from 67K acres in 2025. Traders estimated this season’s total production at around 800K quintals. Meanwhile, a farmers' protest brought several roads to a standstill in Chandigarh on 11 Jul. More than 100 buses, tractor-trolleys, and other vehicles carrying farmers arrived in the city demanding a reduction in petrol and diesel prices. Concurrently, Fertiliser Association of India, Director, General Suresh Kumar Chaudhari, shared that India needs policy reforms and higher private investment in the fertilizer sector to reduce dependence on imported raw materials. He said, ‘In the last 10 years, not one big investment...came from the private side in the fertilizer sector. That is a matter of worry’ (earlier coverage).