Top rice news Today highlights how rice could play a bigger role in ethanol production as maize and sugarcane acreage declines during the Kharif season. In Kerala, the Food Department has clarified that ration rice prices have not increased, Whereas additional rice is available under the Open Market Sale Scheme. At the same time, Chinese astronauts have harvested rice grown in space for the first time, marking a major step toward future space-based agriculture and food production.

Rice Likely to Take Bigger Role in Ethanol Production as Maize, Sugarcane Acreage Drops

India may increase the use of rice for ethanol production this Kharif season as acreage under maize and sugarcane declines, which raises concerns over the availability of major ethanol feedstocks. Senior sugar industry executives expect rice’s contribution to ethanol production to rise by nearly 15–20% this season. At present, rice accounts for about 26.79% of ethanol feedstock, whereas sugarcane contributes roughly 28%.

Maize planting has dropped nearly 4%, whereas sugarcane acreage is down 0.85%. Moreover, Poor rainfall in Maharashtra and Karnataka has raised concerns nearly sugarcane output and pushed sugar prices to record levels. Now, to support ethanol production and its 20% petrol-blending target, the government has set aside 72 lakh tonnes of rice from its stocks for distilleries in the next ethanol supply year, up from 52 lakh tonnes in 2025–26. Besides this, another 55 lakh tonnes of broken rice has been made available through e-auctions.

Why Kerala Dismisses Ration Rice Price Hike Ahead of Onam?

The Kerala Food Department has dismissed reports that ration rice prices have been risen during the Onam season by calling claims that the price rose from ₹10.90 to ₹26 per kg completely untrue. Moreover, the department clarified that the ₹26 per kg price applies only to additional rice sold under the Open Market Sale Scheme (OMSS) and does not represent a rise in the price of the regular ration quota. The change follows a reduction of more than 6,459 metric tonnes in Kerala’s Centre-linked tide-over rice allocation since January 2026.

For Onam, eligible blue, white and brown ration-card holders can purchase additional OMSS rice at ₹26 per kg. At the same time, regular ration entitlements remain unchanged for various card categories. The department said 1,65,932 metric tonnes of rice and 24,506 metric tonnes of wheat have been brought into the public distribution system (PDS) this month to help control prices during the festival season.

Chinese Astronauts Harvest Rice In Space For The First Time

Recently, Chinese astronauts have successfully harvested rice grown in space for the first time. It marks a significant milestone in the development of space-based agriculture. The Shenzhou-23 crew aboard China’s Tiangong space station collected the first batch of rice samples grown from seeds that were taken to orbit in May 2026. Moreover, the experiment is designed to study how microgravity and the space environment affect rice growth, genetic stability and adaptability across generations. Particularly, scientists are interested in whether crops can complete multiple growth cycles in orbit, potentially creating a future seed-to-seed food production system. The achievement could have implications far beyond the Tiangong station. In addition, developing reliable methods to grow food in space may become essential for long-duration missions to the Moon and Mars, where transporting all food supplies from Earth would be difficult and expensive. Notably, China’s experiment highlights the growing role of agriculture in future space exploration and the possibility of producing fresh food beyond Earth.