State working on measures to regulate price of some varieties of rice: Min

Kolkata, July 25 -- State Agriculture minister Sobhandeb Chattopadhyay on Friday said that the state is working on measures to regulate the price of some varieties of rice whose price has soared since the last few months.

"We have been able to stabilise the price of potato, onion and ginger this year by selling through Sufal Bangla, mandatory preserving of 30 per cent of potato in cold storages and developing infrastructure for onion storage. Middlemen are involved in the path through which rice reaches the consumers from the farmers and hence the price rise. However, we are hopeful of regulating the price of rice, too.

The rice after production goes into the hands of the state Food and Supplies department. We will soon hold a coordination meeting with the department on this issue to regulate the price of rice," Chattopadhyay said on the sidelines of the Bengal Rice Conclave organised by the Indian Chamber of Commerce (ICC) on Friday.

The price of miniket rice, which nearly 80 per cent of consumers use, has risen by about Rs 12 to Rs 15 per kilo. The more premium banskathi has increased by Rs 8 to Rs10 a kilo while the Ratna variety which is preferred by budget conscious consumers have gone up from Rs 35 to Rs 40.

Chattopadhyay highlighted the proactive role the state has played in championing agricultural reforms. "Bengal ranks among the top in the country when it comes to agricultural innovation and farmer welfare. Under the visionary leadership of Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, the government has launched several impactful schemes that benefit small and marginal farmers, covering everything from production and food supply to marketing," he said.

He further spoke about the launch of the 'Nona Swarno'-a salt-tolerant variety of rice, specially developed to support farmers in flood-prone coastal regions. The initiative, led by the Chief Minister, aims to mitigate the impact of climate change on agriculture and utilise the huge range of land spread over the coastal

region of the state.

The conclave brought together eminent policymakers, agricultural experts and stakeholders to chart a progressive roadmap for the future of rice cultivation in the state.

Published by HT Digital Content Services with permission from Millennium Post.