No fine rice for FCI yet, Telangana prioritises state pool
By Roushan Ali
The Telangana Civil Supplies Corporation will not supply fine rice from the current Kharif crop to the Food Corporation of India (FCI) until it fills the state pool to meet its requirements.
Only coarse rice from the current Kharif crop will be given to FCI.The decision was made in view of the fact that the Congress govt requires at least 24 lakh metric tonnes (LMT) of fine rice to supply over 89 lakh ration card holders in the ensuing new year.
Civil Supplies Corporation commissioner DS Chouhan is going forward in the implementation of the Kharif procurement plan with the motto of ‘Sannala modati hakku Telangana prajala di (People of Telangana have the first right on fine variety rice)’. Congress, in its election manifesto, had promised to supply fine variety rice through ration shops to ration card holders. After coming into power, civil supplies minister N Uttam Kumar Reddy announced that fine rice will be supplied from next year, most probably from Jan 2025, i.e., Sankranti festival.
Milled rice to for state poolSources said that instructions have been issued to the district collectors, and employees involved in the paddy procurement to ensure that fine variety paddy being given to the rice millers for milling should be promptly taken back for the state pool after the milling is done. A senior official said they were expecting about 40 to 45 lakh metric tonnes (LMT) of fine variety paddy to be brought to the procurement centres set up by govt.
“If milled, 45 LMT of fine paddy will give about 30-odd LMT of fine rice. The main reason for first trying to fill up the state pool is that the fine variety paddy (rice) of Kharif is of better and superior quality compared to the same variety produced in the Rabi crop. The Yasangi (Rabi) crop fine variety paddy will have a higher percentage of broken rice, and also its quality will be inferior to Kharif’s paddy quality,” said sources.
FCI to get leftover fine riceAfter the state pool is full and sufficient for supply in the 2025 calendar year, the leftover fine rice or paddy quantities will be given to the FCI. However, the state govt faces a challenge from market forces. If traders or millers offer more price than the govt, then the govt would face a shortage of fine rice to meet its 24 LMT requirement for distribution.
This article has been republished from The Times of India