rice: Rice inflation: FCI chief says PDS rice high quality good; appeals merchants to purchase grain below OMSS

The constructive response obtained for wheat gross sales below the OMSS has helped maintain wheat and atta costs below verify. Within the case of rice, the offtake of grain has not been a lot, to this point, below the scheme, he added.

Briefing media, FCI Chairman and Managing Director Meena mentioned, “Rice inflation information is barely a priority. It’s at 13 per cent year-on-year, which is a reason behind fear. That is why we’re promoting rice below the OMSS”.

Nevertheless, rice sale has been only one.19 lakh tonne to this point since June regardless of in depth promotion of the OMSS initiative, he mentioned.

The federal government has determined to offtake 25 lakh tonnes of rice below the OMSS.

To dispel apprehension in regards to the high quality of PDS rice, which could possibly be one of many causes for the poor offtake, the FCI chief, for the primary time, served reporters fried rice and kheer (candy rice) cooked from the PDS rice picked up randomly from its godowns. “The FCI has extraordinarily good high quality of rice out there. The standard of rice provided below PMGKAY is pretty much as good as what you see out there,” he mentioned. The one challenge is that the PDS rice incorporates damaged rice of as much as 25 per cent, in any other case, the standard is nice for consumption, he added.

Rice is being provided on the market at Rs 2,900 per quintal by means of a weekly e-auction course of below the OMSS.

In keeping with the FCI chief, extra offtake of rice by personal merchants below the OMSS will enhance the supply within the home market, thereby bringing down the costs.

“Rice inventory is wholesome. At present, we’ve got a complete of 20 million tonnes of surplus rice, which is greater than our requirement for the Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Anna Yojana (PMGKAY) and different welfare schemes,” he mentioned.

About 23.7 million tonnes of rice has been procured within the 2023-24 kharif advertising and marketing season, he added.

Within the case of wheat, retail costs have come below management as a result of OMSS sale, together with different measures.

Underneath the OMSS, about 48.12 lakh tonnes of wheat has been offered, to this point, since June. Along with this, 86,084 tonnes of wheat has to this point been offered to companies Nafed, NCCF, and Kendriya Bhandar for changing it into wheat flour and promoting at a subsidised price of Rs 27.50 per kg below the ‘Bharat atta’ model.

The federal government has allotted 101.5 lakh tonnes of wheat for the OMSS sale until March 2024.

In addition to the sale of wheat and rice below OMSS, the federal government has banned the export of wheat and a number of other sorts of rice since final 12 months.