Doubt remains on permission to export white rice
08-Aug-2024 08:52 PM
New Delhi. Although the government has sufficient stock of this important food grain to maintain the supply and availability of rice in the domestic sector and to control the rise in prices and its new government purchase is also going to start from October,
due to which the stock will continue to increase regularly, but despite this the government is not ready to give permission for commercial export of non-Basmati white rice, while exporters are repeatedly demanding it.
Actually the government is giving priority to increasing the availability of rice in the domestic sector, due to which export has become a secondary issue. However, the export of non-Basmati Sela rice is open with a customs duty of 20 percent.
There is a good increase in the production area of kharif paddy and there is no problem of monsoon rains. Due to this, the next production of paddy-rice is expected to be better.
The central government has given free hand to the states to buy rice from the warehouses of Food Corporation of India at the rate of Rs 2800 per quintal and has also decided to start the sale of rice under the Open Market Sale Scheme (OMSS).
Along with this, government agencies have been allowed to continue the retail sale of Bharat Brand Rice. All these measures have been implemented with the aim of controlling the prices of rice.
On July 1, 2024, there was a huge stock of 326 lakh tonnes of rice in the warehouses, which was 29 percent more than last year and the highest since the year 2005.
Apart from this, Food Corporation of India also had a stock of paddy, whose custom milling is going on. This will provide additional rice to the Food Corporation.
During the July-September quarter, there should be a stock of at least 135 lakh tonnes of rice in the central pool, which includes 115 lakh tonnes of working stock and 20 lakh tonnes of reserve stock.
A stock of 237 lakh tonnes of paddy was also available in the ownership of the Food Corporation as on July 1, 2024.