Question : IMPORT OF RICE

(a) whether the rice supplied under the PDS have 50 per cent and above broken rice and the same variety of rice when imported from Pakistan is cheaper and more lucarative to the traders who have flooded some of the markets in th country; (

(b) whether traders in coastal States have been freely importing rice from Pakistan even when there has been a bumper harvest at home; (

(c) the price at which the rice is being imported from Pakistan; and

(d) the price at which the same variety of rice is being sold in the country through the PDS?

MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF CONSUMER AFFAIRS AND PUBLIC DISTRIBUTION

(SHRI SRIRAM CHAUHAN )

(a), (b) & (c) : It is not possible to compare the quality and price of rice supplied under PDS and the rice imported by private traders from Pakistan, as the Uniform Specification of rice supplied under Public Distribution System (PDS) has less than 50% of broken rice.

As per the current Import and Export (EXIM) Policy, the import of common and coarse varieties of rice and rice with 50% or more brokens is freely allowed w.e.f. 27.5.97. There has been no import of rice from Pakistan during 1997-98 and 1998-99. However, during 1999-2000 as per information available so for, 1037 MTs. of rice valued at Rs. 83.75 lakhs has been imported from Pakistan by private traders as on 31.1.2000, which works out to approximately Rs. 808/- per quintal, on an average.

(d) The quality of rice imported from Pakistan and that supplied under PDS is not comparable. The prevailing Central Issue Prices of rice supplied under PDS are as under:

Category of Beneficiaries	Variety of Rice	Effective from	Common Per Quintal	Grade-A Per Quintal
For families above
Poverty line (APL)
Not Issued For
APL	Rs.905/-	29.1.1999
For families above
Poverty line (APL)
Applicable to J&K,
H.P., N.E. States,
Sikkim and hilly
Areas of U.P.	Rs.700/-	Rs.905/-	29.1.1999
For families below
Poverty line (BPL)	Rs.350/-	Rs.350/-	1.6.1997