With no local varieties of paddy available now for purchase for distributing boiled rice under the public distribution system, Minister for Social and Backward Classes Welfare Kota Srinivas Poojary has instructed the Department of Food and Civil Supplies to seek the permission of the Union government to purchase such varieties from other districts.
The Union Government last month permitted distribution of boiled rice under the the PDS in Dakshina Kannada and Udupi, by procuring local paddy varieties like Kaje, Jaya, Jyothi, Panchamukhi, Sayadri, Uma grown in the twin districts by paying minimum support price under the Market Intervention Scheme (MIS).
Earlier on November 23, 2021, the Union Minister of State for Agriculture and Farmers Welfare Shobha Karandlaje wrote to Union Minister for Food and Public Distributions Piyush Goyal that local paddy varieties of coastal belt should be procured under ‘Decentralised Procurement and Consumption Scheme’ and their rice should be distributed to the beneficiaries of Priority Household and Antyodaya Annya Yojana of the coastal districts including Uttara Kannada.
Local people have been demanding distribution of boiled rice under the PDS for long.
Mr. Poojary who held a video conference with the senior officials of the State Department of Food and Civil Supplies in Udupi on Friday, said that a majority of local farmers have now sold the local varieties of paddy to private parties. Hence there is a need to purchase such varieties from other districts in the State.The Social Welfare Minister said that the same varieties can be procured from Shivamogga, Mandya, and Mysuru districts with the permission from the Union government.
Mr. Poojary said that all arrangements should be made to procure the local paddy varieties from local farmers, stock them and process them as boiled rice in the coming days. The officials should also have proper data relating to supply and demand.
If the local paddy varieties are purchased for distribution under the PDS more farmers who have left their land fallow can come forward to resume paddy cultivation on such lands, he said.
