With fresh paddy arrivals at Red Hills, rice prices to stabilise soon: Tamil Nadu Food Minister
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Food Minister P. Venkataramanan interacting with millers along with Revenue Minister K.A. Sengottaiyan at Red Hills, Chennai | Photo Credit: Special Arrangement
Tamil Nadu Food Minister P. Venkataramanan on Wednesday (October 28, 2026) said that with the arrival of super fine varieties of paddy from Andhra Pradesh and Telangana, rice prices in the State would soon stabilise.
Speaking to journalists after inspecting truck arrivals and interacting with millers along with Revenue Minister K.A. Sengottaiyan at Red Hills, Chennai, he said that from December, when trucks carrying paddy are likely to begin arriving from Karnataka, the prices of super fine and fine varieties would reduce further.
Red Hills is where the rice and paddy market is located, and for the past three days, at least 170-190 trucks, each carrying 10 tonnes, have unloaded their paddy for purchase by traders and subsequent milling to remove the husk.
According to D. Thulasingam and A.C. Mohan of the Federation of Tamil Nadu Rice Mill Owners and Paddy Rice Dealers Association, millers were ensuring that sufficient quantities of paddy reached Red Hills to keep the prices of this essential commodity under check. “Due to a lack of rains and water, Karnataka farmers had a poor harvest last year. This time, they have better prospects, which is why we hope that December will bring more paddy from that State,” Mr. Thulasingam said.
Tiruvallur District Collector S. Kavitha, who was present at the inspection, said there were no restrictions on trucks bringing paddy from other States. Truckers and millers had sought a truck lay-by area for vehicles waiting to be unloaded.
Each year, 35 lakh tonnes of fine and super fine varieties are brought to Tamil Nadu from other States, including West Bengal, Odisha, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, and Telangana. Fine varieties include BPT Ponni, Sona Masoori, and RNR.
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