To ease the impact of food inflation and stabilise the prices of essential commodities, the Tamil Nadu government has decided to sell parboiled rice at ₹30 per kg through 211 cooperative stores and 49 retail outlets of Amudham departmental stores run by the Tamil Nadu Civil Supplies Corporation across the State, Minister for Food and Civil Supplies P. Venkataramanan said on Thursday.

Speaking to reporters at the Secretariat in Chennai, Mr. Venkataramanan said the State government has been closely monitoring the prices of essential commodities, such as rice, pulses and cooking oil. He said the increase in the retail price of rice in Tamil Nadu was due to a shortage in the supply of rice from neighbouring Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka. Further, a section of traders in the State was selling rice at higher prices due to the demand, he said.

He said rice was being sold at an average price of ₹75 to ₹85 per kg in the open market in the State. At present, parboiled rice was being sold at ₹60 per kg and raw rice at ₹46 per kg through Amudham supermarkets and cooperative stores. The State government had now decided to sell parboiled rice at ₹30 per kg and tur dal at ₹130 per kg.

He said 25,000 tonnes of rice would be released immediately for this purpose and a total of one lakh tonnes of rice would be sold at the revised prices. He said this arrangement was in addition to the routine supply of essential commodities through public distribution system outlets. The Minister said demand and prices would be assessed and further measures taken accordingly.