Thiruvananthapuram: Kerala minister for food and civil supplies P. Thilothaman has embarked on a trip to procure rice from Andhra Pradesh at Rs 30 per kg to meet the demand during the Onam season.
If the words of Andhra Pradesh deputy chief Minister K.E. Krishnamoorthi are to be believed, Kerala will get sufficient supply of rice to be distributed through Supplyco (Kerala State Civil Supplies Corporation) this Onam.
Kerala needs 6,000 tonnes of rice to meet the demand of the festival season. Though the government had entered into a contract to get 2,000 tonnes of rice, the contractor backed off at the last moment. It is believed to be a deliberate move to cause price rise during Onam holidays.
The state government contacted Andhra Pradesh government immediately. Now, the objective is to procure the rice directly from the farmers, keeping the middlemen away from the whole deal. If the government manages to get rice at Rs 30 per kg, it could be distributed at Rs 31 per kg in the retail market. Now, all the ration card holders in the state are getting rice at Rs 25 per kilogram.
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