Andhra Pradesh has requested the Centre to permit export of additional 10 million tonnes (mt) of rice from the State to other countries through normal trade channels.

This would help the State dispose of the rice in its godowns and help millers to get ready to commence paddy purchase from the ensuing kharif season of 2011-12, the Chief Minister Mr N. Kiran Kumar Reddy, said in a letter to the Centre today.

The request, would not result in any shortage of rice either for PDS or in the open market, he said. On an earlier request from the Chief Minister, the Centre had allowed export of 10 mt of non-basmati rice, an official release from the Chief Minister's Office said.

In separate letters to the Union Minister for Finance, Mr Pranab Mukherjee, and the Food and Consumer Affairs, Prof. K.V. Thomas, the Chief Minister urged them to consider the export of 15 lakh mt of rice so that the millers could clear the stocks on hand and could purchase the paddy from farmers and farmers, in turn, would get remunerative price for their produce.

Rice production in Andhra Pradesh in 2010-11 is 143 lakh mt, which is 33 per cent higher than last year and new arrivals are expected from the last week of October. As the godowns of the FCI were full and there appears to be no scope to accept any further levy rice from rice millers unless either additional godowns were taken on hire or the movement to other states is increased, which, in the present circumstances, appears to be not feasible. The millers are holding huge stocks of rice awaiting delivery to the FCI besides substantial quantity of levy-free rice, he informed the Minister's in the letter.

“I shall be grateful if you could kindly consider this request favourably and arrange to issue orders at the earliest,” the letter said.

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