TN rice mill owners welcome ban on non-basmati exports
On July 20, the Union Food Ministry, in a statement, said the step was taken to ensure adequate availability of non-basmati white rice in the domestic market and to curb the price rise.
Representative image (File)
CHENNAI: Federation of Tamil Nadu Rice Mill Owners and Paddy-Rice Dealers Association welcomed the Union government's decision to ban the export of non-basmati white rice and said that the decision would ensure adequate availability and supply of rice and contain its price.
"Due to the Russia-Ukraine war, the demand for basmati and non-basmati rice has increased in America and Europe. In the last few months, the exports from India have gone up. The Union government has banned the non-basmati white rice export due to current flooding in North India and drought in Southern States and considering domestic demand, " Dr AC Mohan, secretary of the association told reporters here. He also ruled out any possibility of rice scarcity and price rise in the country.
On July 20, the Union Food Ministry, in a statement, said the step was taken to ensure adequate availability of non-basmati white rice in the domestic market and to curb the price rise. "The domestic prices of rice are on an increasing trend. The retail prices have increased by 11.5% over a year and 3% over the past month, " the statement added.
Mohan also demanded the state government roll back the hike in energy charges for the rice mills which is a seasonal industry. "The fixed charges for LT industries were hiked from Rs 35 per kilowatt to Rs 150 per kW on September 10, 2022. While it was hiked from Rs 350 per KVA to Rs 550 per KVA for the HT industries. Now again the fixed charges were hiked to Rs 153 per kW for LT industries and Rs 562 per KVA for HT. We demand the chief minister to revise the fixed charges to Rs 35 per kW considering it is an essential industry and seasonal in nature, " he demanded.
The association also sought a rollback of 5 per cent GST imposed on 25 kg rice bags.