Pawan Kalyan orders seizure of West-Africa bound ship loaded with 38,000 MT of rice at Kakinada Anchorage Port

Deputy CM initiates action after port officials did not allow him to inspect the vessel and the rice being loaded into it; the ship reportedly contains 640 MT of PDS rice seized in June

KAKINADA

Deputy Chief Minister K. Pawan Kalyan on Friday asked the officials to seize a West-Africa bound cargo ship, Stella L Panama, loaded with 38,000 metric tonnes of rice at the Kakinada Anchorage Port, following a raid to check illegal export of rice from the Kakinada-based ports. 

Mr. Pawan Kalyan ordered the seizure of the ship after the Department of Ports officials did not cooperate with him when he wanted to enter the ship to verify the documents and the rice being loaded into it.

On November 27, Kakinada district Collector Sagili Shan Mohan told The Hindu after a preliminary inspection of the ship that its total capacity was 52,000 MT and that at least 38,000 MT of rice was loaded and it, including 640 MT of rice that was supplied through the Public Distribution System (PDS). The 640 MT of PDS rice was earlier seized by the Civil Supplies Department but was being allowed to be exported to West Africa upon a bank guarantee secured by the exporter.

Seeks report

“The State government will respond to any query by the Centre on the seizure. The Centre is also a stakeholder in implementing the Public Distribution System,” said Mr. Pawan Kalyan. 

The Deputy Chief Minister directed the authorities concerned to submit a detailed report on the ship and the rice loaded into it. 

At a press conference after the inspection, he said, “A network of 16 rice exporters have created a green channel from all the corners of Andhra Pradesh to transport PDS rice to the Kakinada-based ports, from where it will be exported to African countries.”

“In the African countries, the PDS rice exported from Kakinada is being sold at ₹73 (per kg). In Andhra Pradesh, the State government supplies the rice free of cost with the government bearing ₹43 per kilogram,” he said.

Civil Supplies and Consumer Affairs Minister Nadendla Manohar said 51,000 MT of PDS rice was seized from 13 godowns owned by the exporters in Kakinada during the raids in June and 26,000 MT of it was identified as PDS rice.

Published - November 29, 2024 08:43 pm IST