T.N. Food Minister requests Centre to allot 60,000 tonnes of rice more per month under Open Market Sales Scheme

Tamil Nadu Minister for Food and Civil Supplies R. Sakkarapani on Wednesday requested the Centre to allot 60,000 tonnes MT of rice per month under Open Market Sales Scheme (OMSS).

CHENNAI

Tamil Nadu Minister for Food and Civil Supplies R. Sakkarapani on Wednesday requested the Centre to allot 60,000 tonnes of rice per month under Open Market Sales Scheme (OMSS).

“We need about 60,000 tonnes per month of rice apart from regular allotment under National Food Security Act (NFSA) for Public Distribution system and Noon Meal Scheme as we are implementing Universal Public Distribution System even before the introduction of NFSA,” he said at the National Conference of Food Ministers of States and Union Territories.

The conference was chaired by Union Minister of Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution Piyush Goyal in New Delhi.

The allotment would also help in price control, Mr. Sakkarapani pointed out. He requested the Centre to permit Tamil Nadu Civil Supplies Corporation to procure paddy at an increased minimum support price announced for the Kharif Marketing Season 2023-24. Besides, he urged the Union Minister to arrange for the release of subsidy claimed for the previous years.

In Tamil Nadu, wheat consumption has increased due to change in food habits. Tamil Nadu is not a wheat producing State and depends on supply from other States, he said.

“We were getting an allotment of 30,648 tonnes of wheat per month upto May 2022. Now we are getting only 8,532 tonnes of wheat per month from June 2022. We request you to allot an additional 15,000 tonnes of wheat per month instead of rice or supply under OMSS,” Mr. Sakkarapani said.