MADURAI: Food and Consumer Protection Minister P Venkataramanan said on Thursday that the State government is taking steps to improve the quality of rice supplied through ration shops and curb the hoarding of essential commodities amid concerns over rice quality and rising prices.

After inspecting the stock, quality, distribution and prices of essential commodities, including rice and pulses, in Madurai, the minister said the government was working to ensure that consumers received good-quality rice. He said the government sends paddy procured from farmers to rice mills immediately, processes it into rice, and distributes it quickly.

On complaints about the quality of ration rice in some areas, Venkataramanan said the government was taking steps to ensure better-quality supplies. He added that he had held consultations with rice mill owners, agents and traders to identify shortcomings in distribution and the reasons for price increases.

The minister said monitoring would step up and raids would intensify over the next two to three days to prevent hoarding, with the cooperation of the public and traders.

He also said people should be aware of their eligibility for ration commodities and choose the appropriate ration card category. He said government employees, income tax payers, and financially well-off people who own cars and houses should consider switching to a suitable card category, adding that this would help ensure ration commodities reach those who need them most.

Turning to farmers' concerns, Venkataramanan said the procurement price of fine-variety paddy (sanna arisi) had been raised to Rs 2,750 per quintal, while the price for common-variety paddy had been fixed at Rs 2,600 per quintal.

Fine-variety paddy had fetched a low procurement price in earlier years, and the increase would support farmers, he said. The government was also taking steps to increase fine-variety paddy production after considering farmers' demands.

The minister said new warehouses were being opened to protect paddy stored in the open from rain and other damage. The government had opened two covered warehouses with a combined storage capacity of about 2,000 metric tonnes of paddy, while construction was underway in other areas.

“Work is also underway to open warehouses with capacities of about 3,000 metric tonnes and 2,000 metric tonnes,” he said.

The facilities would help store paddy safely and ensure it was sent to rice mills whenever required, he added.