Around 33 rice mills in the Gondia district of Maharashtra have been blacklisted for the next three years because the rice supplied by them has been found to be of inferior quality and unfit for human consumption. As per a PTI report, Gondia Collector Chinmay Gotmare issued an order to this effect on August 4. The Food Corporation of India (FCI) during an inspection found that the rice from the mills supplied to districts such as Beed, Nandurbar, and Latur among others last year under the public distribution system (PDS) was found to be of inferior quality.
The FCI team later submitted its report to the Gondia collector. Gondia is also known as Rice City because of the high number of rice mills.
Gotmare said that these mills have been ordered to supply good quality rice within the next six weeks, or else legal action would be initiated against them.
According to a Reuters report, rice planting could fall by 5 percent after the decision to ban non-basmati white rice export will cut farm income and encourage growers to switch to other crops.
On July 20, India's Food and Consumer Affairs Ministry imposed a ban on non-basmati white rice exports in order to stabilise volatile retail prices within the country. Rice production has been impacted by adverse weather conditions, including heavy monsoon rains in rice-producing states and rainfall deficits in other regions. While parboiled rice is exempt from the ban, the government's primary goal is to ensure adequate supply of non-basmati white rice in the domestic market while containing price increases.
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India is the biggest rice exporter accounting for more than 40 percent of global supplies. In July, the government ordered a halt to non-basmati white rice exports, driving prices to multi-year highs. In June, India raised the price at which it will buy new-season common rice paddy from farmers by 7% to Rs 2,183 rupees per 100 kg, reported Reuters.