Nizamabad: Convert ration rice to broken rice

Nizamabad: Smugglers always find new ways to carry on their business whenever the government tightens its grip on them. Smuggling of PDS rice has become a major issue for the government and increased vigilance. This has stopped the ration rice smuggling to some extent.

But the smugglers find new ways to smuggle the rice. They are converting the PDS rice into broken rice and crossing the borders and the officials are unable to recognise the smuggling.

The price of broken rice in neighbouring States ranges from Rs 2,000 to Rs 2,200 per quintal. The smugglers will buy rice from the ration cardholders from Rs 10 to Rs 12 per kg and will recycle this rice into broken rice or flour. Broken rice is packed into gunny bags and transported to other States in the name of the rice mill.

If police or revenue officials stop and check, they will show the papers of the rice mill as broken rice business is legal. Smuggling of PDS rice from Kamareddy and Nizamabad districts in the form of broken rice to other States is going on unabated. It was reported that large quantities of ration rice is being shipped to Rayalaseema region and Karnataka and Tamil Nadu States. No one stops the shipment because the people on the vehicle will show all the documents related to broken rice.

Sometimes people use another method where the ration rice is polished to make them fine rice. And then it will be smuggled.

Broken rice business is legal for rice. The government converts paddy into rice at mill during every Kharif and Rabi seasons. During the process, the government will not the by-product and the millers are free to use it. Since there is no scientific method to calculate the quantity of broken rice than can be produced from one quintal of rice, for example. In fact, only a small amount of broken rice can be produced after custom milling process. But there are allegations that the rice mills will sell more than 10 times of broken rice.

A comprehensive investigation should be conducted over the transport of broken rice.