India, Feb. 21 -- Chandigarh

As farmers prepare to sow seeds for paddy nurseries, uncertainty looms over the choice of varieties. The previous paddy procurement season (October-November 2024) saw rice millers raising concerns over a lower-than-permissible out-turn ratio (OTR) falling below 67%, along with increased grain breakage.

The out-turn ratio of paddy to rice is the percentage of rice yield that is extracted from paddy after milling. The Food Corporation of India (FCI) mandates an OTR of 67%, meaning that from every 100 kg of paddy, 67 kg of rice should be obtained.

In the 2024 procurement season, Punjab's agencies procured 177 lakh tonnes of paddy, expecting an OTR of 119 lakh tonnes of rice. However, millers reported yields as...