At present, parboiled rice exports attract an export duty of 20 per cent that was imposed in August 2023

From imposing stock curbs and an outright ban on the export of parboiled rice, the Centre is keeping all options open on controlling rice prices, Food Secretary Sanjeev Chopra said on Friday.

At present, parboiled rice exports attract an export duty of 20 per cent that was imposed in August 2023.

The Centre has also directed traders to disclose their rice stock on a weekly basis.

Chopra said rice prices in the retail and wholesale markets have risen by almost 15 per cent in the past year.

When asked whether the government will impose a stock limit on rice or ban shipments of par-boiled rice, Chopra said: “All options are open”.

He was speaking at the launch of the retail sale of ‘Bharat Rice’ to the general consumers

Chopra was speaking at the launch of ‘Bharat’ brand rice packets priced at Rs 29 per kg.

The ‘Bharat Rice’ packets are priced at Rs 29 a kilogram, and will be sold through the outlets of Nafed and NCCF. It will also be available across leading e-commerce platforms. ‘Bharat Rice’ will also be available in 5 kg and 10 kg packs.

At present, the government is already selling Bharat Atta at Rs 27.50 per kg and Bharat Dal (chana) at Rs 60 per kg, respectively.

Seeking to dispel market rumours, Chopra said the government has no plans to lift restrictions on rice exports any time soon.

The restrictions will continue until prices drop to a reasonable level.

“Our first priority is to ensure rice prices are brought down,” he said.

“We are now issuing orders to all entities that would need to disclose their stocks on the portal of the food department. So the retailers, the big chain retailers, the wholesalers and the processors would all be required to disclose their stocks on the portals. They would need to disclose stocks in categories such as broken rice, non-basmati rice, parboiled rice and basmati rice,” he explained.

Chopra highlighted that the government has taken various steps in terms of export regulations, including prohibition on shipments of non-basmati white rice and broken rice, 20 per cent export duty on parboiled rice and minimum export price of $950 per tonne for basmati rice.

He added that the government has been vigorously pushing the Open Market Sale Scheme (OMSS), but it has not been able to tame food inflation.

Published Date: February 2, 2024