New Delhi (PTI): The Centre has procured 99.37 lakh tonnes of rice till today in the 2008-09 season (October-September), compared to 82.92 lakh tonnes purchased in the same period last season.

Among the states, Punjab has contributed the highest amount of 80.03 lakh tonnes (LT) to the central pool. It had purchased 68.53 LT in the corresponding period last year.

However, the rice procurement in Haryana has declined to 12.30 LT till date in the current season from 13.04 LT the state had bought in the year-ago period.

Andhra Pradesh purchased 1.52 LT against 21,909 tonnes last year. Rice procurement in Uttar Pradesh has increased to 1.74 LT from 43,567 tonnes last year and in Tamil Nadu to 1.74 LT from just 50 tonnes.

Chhattisgarh has procured 1.37 LT of rice this season as against 15,193 tonnes last season.

The procurement, however, has not picked up in states like Maharashtra, Orissa and Madhya Pradesh which have reported a fall in the purchase.

The Centre has fixed a target of 276 LT of rice to be procured in the entire season.