The Union Food Ministry has suggested that the Maharashtra government motivate industries to set up fortified rice manufacturing plants as well as rice bran oil processing units around the paddy belt of Gondia, Bhandara, and Chandrapur. It has also asked the State to promote crop diversification towards maize to encourage grain-based distilleries.
Union Food Secretary Sudhanshu Pandey said the Centre has chalked out a plan to issue fortified rice through the public distribution system (PDS) by 2024, according to an official statement released on Sunday.
After visiting PDS shops and paddy procurement operations in a few districts, Pandey held a joint meeting with officials from the State government and the Food Corporation of India (FCI). He emphasised the promotion of solvent extraction plants for manufacturing rice bran oil in the procuring districts.
Boosting ethanol production
Simultaneously, he added, Maharashtra should work on crop diversification towards maize to help set up grain-based distilleries for ethanol production. The Centre is selling rice at ₹20/kg from the Central pool stocks to grain-based distilleries to improve the ethanol-blending programme.