MADURAI: Tamil Nadu may not face shortage of rice nor will prices increase if kuruvai cultivation is truncated due to non-availability of water, because mills are holding huge paddy stocks, the Federation of Tamil Nadu Rice Mill Owners and Paddy Rice Dealers Association has stated. The assurance comes amid fears of crop failure as deficit rainfall in catchment areas has resulted in low storage levels in major dams across the state including the Mullaiperiyar, Vaigai and Mettur dams.
Speaking to TNIE, Dr A C Mohan, secretary of the Federation of Tamil Nadu Rice Mill Owners and Paddy Rice Dealers Association, said paddy stock would arrive from several states including Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka and West Bengal from August and it would bridge the gap, if any.
“Usually, mills do not hull paddy immediately after procurement. Paddy is generally stored for at least eight months, as aged rice commands better price. Tamil Nadu currently has an average surplus stock of around five lakh tonnes, and samba remains the state’s largest cultivation season. The situation is not alarming,” he said.
Mohan added that Tamil Nadu depends on Karnataka for fine and super-fine paddy varieties, with nearly 30 lakh tonnes arriving annually. Due to increased demand in Karnataka, the prices of BPT and Sona Ponni varieties have risen by about Rs 5 to Rs 6 per kg, while overall rice prices have remained largely stable, he said.
Echoing similar opinion, A. Anbarasan, food panel chairperson of MADITSSIA, said any setback in kuruvai paddy cultivation would not significantly disrupt the market as Tamil Nadu relies on supplies from other states for finer and super finer varieties. He suggested that the government should encourage farmers to cultivate marketable paddy varieties during the samba season and create additional storage facilities, so that dependence on other states is reduced during the shortfall.