Worried over the rise in rice costs, the Centre has requested merchants/wholesalers, retailers, massive chain retailers and processors/millers to declare their inventory place of rice and paddy each Friday.
Union Food Secretary Sanjeev Chopra mentioned the choice is to handle the general meals inflation and to forestall unscrupulous hypothesis.
Traders and millers could have to declare the stocks of paddy and nearly all classes of rice, similar to damaged rice, non-basmati white rice, parboiled rice and basmati rice, on the Food Ministry’s designated portal, Mr. Chopra mentioned.
Further, to examine inflationary developments, the Centre has determined to begin retail sale of ‘Bharat Rice’ to common shoppers. “In the first phase, 5 lakh tonnes of rice have been allocated for retail sale under the ‘Bharat Rice’ brand through three agencies, the NAFED, NCCF and the Kendriya Bhandar. The retail price for sale of Bharat Rice to general consumers will be ₹29 per kilogram. Rice will be sold in five kg and 10 kg bags,” he mentioned.
He mentioned the retail costs had elevated by 14.51% over the previous yr. “In an effort to curb the prices of rice, various steps have already been taken by the government,” he mentioned. Sufficient inventory of excellent high quality rice is on the market with the FCI, which is being provided to merchants/wholesalers underneath the open market gross sales scheme at a reserve price of ₹29/Kg.
He mentioned the federal government’s coverage of curbs on sure sorts of rice will proceed. He mentioned such measures had curbed the tempo of accelerating development of rice costs in home market. “The first priority of the government as of now is to ensure that rice prices are brought down,” he mentioned.
