New Delhi, Oct. 30 -- The government's paddy procurement from farmers has declined by more than a fifth from a year ago, hurt by erratic weather and the slow evacuation of purchased grain from some key paddy-producing regions due to storage constraints in the early phase of procurement, according to three people familiar with the development.

Between 1 and 28 October, government agencies, including the Food Corporation of India (FCI) and state agencies procuring on its behalf, bought 13 million tonnes of paddy, down from 16.9 million tonnes a year earlier, the people cited earlier said on condition of anonymity.

However, farmers and traders expect purchases to pick up in the coming days as weather becomes more favourable. The government...