The Government implemented a number of measures to prevent rice prices from falling ahead of the main season harvest in November. Apart from temporarily suspending the release of rice from state reserves, announced in mid-September, the Government also approved measures to encourage rice storage including loan offers to producers to put off the sale of 2 million tonnes of paddy and additional loans at reduced interest rates to encourage the storage of an additional 8 million tonnes in the hands of traders and processors (for further details see the FAO Rice Market Monitor).