(MENAFN- AsiaNet News) Thiruvananthapuram: The sale of Sabari K Rice, launched by the state government as an alternative to the central government's Bharat rice, will start today. The Chief Minister, Pinarayi Vijayan, will inaugurate the sale. Currently, out of the 10 kg of subsidized rice distributed by Supplyco, five kg are being sold as K rice in special packaging. Jaya rice will be retailed at Rs 29 per kg, Kurua rice, and Matta rice at Rs 30 per kg. The remaining five kilograms will continue to be provided through SupplyCo. The sale of subsidized commodities via Supplyco has faced challenges for an extended period due to financial difficulties.
It was decided to distribute the rice under the brand Sabari K-Rice through Supplyco as part of providing quality rice at low prices to the public.
The rice has been procured by following the tender procedures and ensuring its quality. Jaya rice will be distributed in Thiruvananthapuram, Matta rice in Kottayam and Ernakulam regions, and Kurua rice in Palakkad and Kozhikode regions.
During the initial phase, Sabari K-Rice will be packaged in gunny bags featuring the K-Rice logo as part of a branding initiative. The total expenditure for these gunny bags is expected to be less than Rs 10 lakh, which will be drawn from Supplyco's advertising budget, as mentioned by the official. The same rice distributed through ration shops by the central government is named Bharat Rice. The market price of Bharat rice is Rs. 29, and companies such as the National Agricultural Cooperative Marketing Federation of India( NAFED) will purchase it at Rs. 18.59. It is then sold at a profit of Rs. 10.41.
However, Food Minister Anil Kumar stated that the Bharat rice is being sold to the public with the Union government making a profit of Rs 10 per kg, and the State government is shouldering an additional burden of Rs 9.5 to Rs 11.11 per kg to distribute Sabari rice.
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