THIRUVANANTHAPURAM, 12 April 2008 — Kerala is heading for an unprecedented food crisis due to inadequate stocks and stalled supply from Andhra Pradesh.
The state banks heavily on AP for its rice needs and Tamil Nadu for meat and vegetables but both are in short supply and the prices are increasing. It has more than doubled since the last Vishu, the Malayalam New Year marking the harvest season that falls on Monday.
Arrivals from AP stopped since the state’s Congress party government started large-scale procurement for its Rs2-a-kilo rice scheme and the vegetable supplies from Tamil Nadu suffered due to heavy summer showers.
The state needs about 4 million tons of rice every year to feed its people but the domestic production is as low as 6.35 lakh tons. One lakh tons lost this season in Kuttanad, once called Kerala’s rice granary, due to unexpected summer rains and the local opposition to employing harvesting machines.
In 2005-06, when Kerala produced 0.63 million tons of rice, AP produced 11.7 million tons, TN 5.22 million and Karnataka 3.44 million of India’s total output of 91.79 million tons.
Under the National Food Security Mission, India aims to increase the production of rice by 10 million tons, wheat by eight million and pulses by two million tons by 2011-12. Palakkad district in Kerala comes under the scheme.
The government is now planning to approach the center for assistance for a Rs1 billion “Public Paddy” project to introduce group farming and mechanisation in the paddy fields fragmented by the state’s much acclaimed land reforms.
“The situation is grim. Chief Minister V.S. Achuthanandan will be leading an all-party delegation to New Delhi on Tuesday to take up the matter with Prime Minister Manmohan Singh,” Food Minister C. Divakaran said.
Yesterday, local markets quoted prices of popular rice varieties like Jaya and Kuruva in the range of Rs23-30. “Everyday, the prices are going up by an average of 50 paisa. Stocks are fast dwindling,” a dealer here said.
According to reports, the stocks in the Kollam wholesale market, which caters to the southern districts of Thiruvananthapuram, Kollam, Pathanamthitta, Alappuzha and Kottayam, are already exhausted and fresh stocks are yet to arrive.
“The biggest blow came from the Center when it cut the PDS rice quota by 4,000 tons. Andhra Pradesh has promised 5,000 tons in buffer stocks,” said Divakaran who warned of stern action to check price rise and artificial shortage of essential commodities.
Kerala has 5883,474 cardholders for its public distribution system (PDS) that covers 97 percent of the population.
“Steps have been taken to import rice from Andhra Pradesh. Transportation will depend on the availability of railway wagons,” he said. Traders said no rice-filled wagon is heading for the state at the moment and they have no idea when the stocks will be replenished.
