Team Blitz India
NEW DELHI: In a bid to tame the double digit inflation in rice, the Government will now be selling riceunder the Bharat brand at Rs 25 a kilo, said a senior official.
This will be sold through the National Agricultural Cooperative Marketing Federation of India (Nafed), National Cooperative Consumers’ Federation (NCCF) and Kendriya Bhandar outlets.
Cereal prices in November rose to 10.27% pushing the food inflation to 8.70% in November, against 6.61% reported the previous month. Food inflation accounts for nearly half of the overall consumer price basket.
While the Government has been able to tame rising wheat prices through increasing the amount it offloads in the open market via e-auctions done by the Food Corporation of India (FCI), the offtake of rice has been minimal.
A high inflation in staple cereal can be a problem for the government which is preparing for general election on 2024.The Government already sells atta and pulses under the brand.