Rs 30 per kg rice gets no takers in fair price shops, claims PMK chief Anbumani

Chennai, Public response to the Rs 30 per kg rice introduced at fair price shops has been poor, with only 114.80 tonnes sold over the past 14 days, PMK president Anbumani Ramadoss claimed on Wednesday.

Recently, TVK government had launched the sale of subsidised fine-quality rice at Rs 30 per kilogram in ration shops to curb rising food and open-market inflation

Urging the Tamil Nadu government to procure quality fine-variety rice directly from private mills to curb rising market prices, the PMK MP attributed the lukewarm reception to the inferior quality of the rice being distributed.


Quoting a news report, Ramadoss highlighted that out of the initial 950-tonne allocation since the scheme's launch on October 17, only 114.80 tonnes had been sold by October 29.

"This averages to just 33 kg per shop daily, a volume lower than the daily sales of a small village grocery store," he claimed.

He attributed the scheme's "failure" to using polished PDS rice rather than sourcing directly from private processors.

Ramadoss recalled recommending a model similar to Andhra Pradesh, where the government procures 20 per cent of total production from private mills to sell via fair price shops.

Stating that with open market prices rising sharply since July due to shortages and hoarding, the former Union minister urged the state to procure 20 per cent of fine Ponni rice from private mills and wholesalers to sell through fair price shops at Rs 50 per kg, effectively cooling demand and controlling prices.