KERALA: RICE WARS
As rice prices go through the roof, a political blame game is under way
Skyrocketing rice prices have sparked a major political blame game in Kerala. Leaders of the ruling Left Democratic Front are pointing fingers at the Narendra
Modi government in Delhi, while the Opposition accuses the state government of deliberate mismanagement to benefit private traders.
Rice production in Kerala has been falling over the past decade, forcing the state to import 91 per cent of its requirement from Andhra Pradesh and Telangana. But the severe drought in most southern states in the last season has reduced supply and pushed up prices. Food and civil supplies minister P.
Thilothaman claims prices escalated because of a shortage caused by the Centre’s move to cut the state’s rice quota. “Kerala’s annual allocation from the central pool was reduced from 16.25 lakh metric tonnes to 14.25 lakh metric tonnes after the Food Security Act was implemented,” the minister told india today. This, he says, has caused a shortfall in PDS (public distribution system) supplies, which are essential to keep prices in check. Consequently, the market price is at an all-time high of Rs 46 per kg. Thilothaman also says his department has imported 1,000 tonnes of rice to ease the burden. Agriculture minister V.S. Sunilkumar says the state government is also extending the area under paddy cultivation by 10,000 hectares as a long-term solution.
The Opposition puts the blame squarely on the state government. Pointing to the consistently rising prices over the past three months, Ramesh
Chennithala, leader of the Opposition in the Kerala Assembly, accused Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan’s government of deliberately delaying rice imports to benefit private traders. He has also demanded that Thilothaman be sacked. Even former CM and Union minister
A.K. Antony, who normally refrains from state politics, was livid. On a visit to Kozhikode on March 6, he accused the state government of “criminal negligence” for allowing the current chaos in the market. The poor, he reminded Left leaders, would be the worst affected.