Officials from the food ministry have stated that the government is contemplating selling FCI rice under the ‘Bharat’ brand in an effort to curb rice inflation; however, the reduced rate has not been determined.

Few people are enthusiastic about the ministry’s plans to sell FCI rice through an online auction as part of the Open Market Sale Scheme (OMSS) in an effort to reduce retail rice prices.

Indian Government To Market FCI Rice As Bharat Brand

“The price has not yet been decided, but there is a proposal to retail ‘Bharat rice,'” the official told PTI on Wednesday.

A kilogramme of high-quality rice is available from the Food Corporation of India (FCI) for a reserve price of Rs 29 as part of the OMSS. The insider went on to say that the Group of Ministers must decide whether to sell Bharat rice at the same pricing or a reduced rate.

Through shops overseen by Kendriya Bhandar, the National Cooperative Consumers’ Federation (NCCF), and the National Agricultural Cooperative Marketing Federation of India (NAFED), the Bharat brand of pulses and wheat flour (atta) is already being sold by the government.
So far this year, FCI has only sold 3.04 lakh tonnes of rice under OMSS. According to the official data, the nodal agency has sold 82.89 lakh tonnes of wheat under OMSS.

The government is worried about the cost of essential foodstuffs in the run-up to the 2024 general election, since rice inflation stands at 13% year-on-year.