Govt tightens rice quality norms for PDS; move may free millions of tonnes of broken rice for ethanol

The Union Cabinet has approved a major overhaul of rice quality norms under the public distribution system, slashing the permissible broken grain content in rice supplied to more than 80 crore beneficiaries.

The decision, approved by the Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA), marks the first revision in nearly three decades of quality specifications for rice distributed under the Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Anna Yojana (PMGKAY) and other welfare schemes.

Under the revised norms, raw rice supplied under PMGKAY will contain up to 10% broken grains instead of the current 25%, while the limit for parboiled rice has been reduced to 5% from 16%.

The government said procurement of the improved-quality rice will begin immediately and will be rolled out across all procuring states in a phased manner by the Kharif Marketing Season (KMS) 2027-28.

Distribution of improved-quality rice under PMGKAY and other welfare schemes will also be undertaken in a phased manner.

The Centre said the move would provide beneficiaries with rice having better grain integrity, improved appearance and higher consumer acceptability without altering their entitlement.

The Cabinet also approved productive utilisation of the broken rice separated during milling for industrial uses, instead of distributing it under the public distribution system.

Broken rice for ethanol

While the official statement did not specify end-use, Food Secretary Sanjeev Chopra had said in March that reducing the broken rice content under the public distribution system would free around 90 lakh tonnes of broken rice annually for the ethanol sector.

"Climate change is a reality. We need to make sure the supply chain is not disrupted. A steady supply of broken rice to the ethanol sector will help ensure that," the food secretary had said at the All India Distillers Association (AIDA) conference.

The surplus was also proposed to be auctioned to animal feed manufacturers and other users.

The government said the reform would also rationalise transportation, storage and handling costs as broken rice would be auctioned directly from millers' premises and stored in HDPE bags instead of jute bags.

The changes are expected to result in annual savings of around ₹2,161 crore through lower logistics, storage and packaging costs.

Additional revenue from the sale of broken rice would further help reduce the food subsidy burden, it added.

The proposal was validated through pilot projects in Haryana, Andhra Pradesh, Punjab, Odisha, Telangana and Chhattisgarh.

Rice produced under the pilot will now also be supplied to beneficiaries under PMGKAY and other welfare schemes.