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State Warehousing Corporation to sell rice

KOCHI: Kerala State Warehousing Corporation will sell rice through its network of 60 warehouses in Kerala. About 10 tonnes of rice have already been despatched to various warehouses including Eroor and Aluva in Ernakulam. Arrangements are being made to sell the rice across its outlets in the State. The retail price would be around Rs.18.50 per kg, a top official of the corporation told The Hindu.

The corporation has set up a modern rice mill at Alathur in Palakkad. The mill, which started functioning recently, has processed about 50 tonnes of paddy and the quantity would be sent to the warehouses, depending on the demand. The mill has a capacity of about 40 tonnes per day. The corporation is in the process of setting up a computerised ‘Sortex machine’ capable of removing impurities such as small stones and ‘black rice’. The machine will cost around Rs.35 lakh.

The sorted quality rice is expected to reach the outlets in two months. The price will be revised for the improved quality of rice, the official said. The corporation would also explore the possibility of export of the refined quality of rice, he said.

The Alathur mill is getting paddy from a local cooperative society which procures it from Kerala as well as other States. There is steady supply of paddy and the cooperative body has ensured to meet the additional requirement, with a rider that the corporation should not insist on procuring paddy from Kerala alone.

The KSWC had intention to supply rice to the State Civil Supplies Corporation, but it could not agree on the quoted price. The stipulation on the minimum quantity of rice to be converted from a given quantity of procured paddy had also made it difficult for reaching an agreement, according to official sources. There is also a limit for the water content in the paddy. The wetness should not exceed 17 per cent. Non-conformity with the standards creates problems in processing.

The warehousing corporation had invested about Rs.70 lakh for setting up a rice mill in Thakazhy, Alappuzha, a few years ago, but it had run into trouble due to labour problems.

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