NEW DELHI (Dow Jones)--India's federal government has so far purchased 8.78 million metric tons of rice from farmers as of Friday, down 4.3% on year, latest figures show. 
 
In the year-earlier period, the federal government bought 9.17 million tons of rice from domestic farmers.

India's rice marketing year starts in October and ends in September. The government purchases rice from farmers at state-set intervention prices to run its subsidized rice sale programs.