India considers freezing pulse buffer sales as El Nino clouds kharif outlook
India's Department of Consumer Affairs has recommended a temporary halt on open market sales of tur and chana from government buffer stocks, citing the twin risks of a delayed monsoon and an emerging El Nino event. With pulse acreage already down 15 per cent year-on-year as of mid-July 2026 and production prospects unclear, the government wants to preserve roughly 4 million tonnes of strategic reserves. The move would also extend the mandatory disposal window under the Price Support Scheme beyond the standard nine-month period.
India's pulse buffer, built painstakingly through years of farmer procurement and selective imports, may soon be placed under a temporary lock. The Department of Consumer Affairs has written to the Department of Agriculture and Farmers' Welfare asking it to pause open market sales of tur and chana from Price Support Scheme stocks, a precautionary move driven by growing anxiety over what a delayed monsoon and a possible El Nino event could do to domestic crop output.Why the government wants to hold back stockpulses through the open market sale and procurement decisions under the PSS may need to be reviewed in light of the evolving situation," the department said in its communication, as reported by Financial Express.buffer stock as kharif crops sowing has been delayed because of sluggish progress of monsoon in June while threat of El Nino emerging in September could impact next rabi crops." The official added that a clearer picture on kharif pulse acreage was expected by August.The buffer in numbersWhat open market sales normally doNafed and the National Cooperative Exports Limited, or NCCF, release grain at or below prevailing wholesale rates, effectively putting a ceiling on how far prices can climb. State welfare schemes including PM-Poshan, the Integrated Child Development Services programme, and the public distribution system also draw from these reserves.El Nino's uncertain threatNafed and NCCF in the middlefood security arithmetic for the rest of 2026.