The government has granted permission to the private sector to import 3.92 lakh tonnes of rice this month in an effort to stabilise retail prices across the country, according to the food ministry.

A total of 92 private rice importers have received approval to import this quantity, which includes 2.73 lakh tonnes of boiled rice and 1.19 lakh tonnes of non-boiled ‘Atap’ rice.

This latest approval brings the total rice import permits issued by the food ministry to 277 private companies, allowing them to import a combined total of 14.81 lakh tonnes of both boiled and non-boiled ‘Atap’ rice within this month.

The order to import rice was issued nearly two weeks ago to address the gap in the current Aman harvest, which is expected to conclude by the end of this month, according to officials.

The private importers are required to supply the rice to retail markets by December 22.

Previously, the food ministry had permitted 185 private companies to import approximately 10.89 lakh tonnes of rice, including 7.92 lakh tonnes of boiled rice and 2.97 lakh tonnes of non-boiled ‘Atap’ rice. These importers were instructed to sell their rice by December 10.

As of Wednesday, the public sector’s food storage amounted to 10,88,351 tonnes, which included 6,66,728 tonnes of rice, 4,21,171 tonnes of wheat, and 681 tonnes of paddy.