Kerala Food Department Denies Price Hike for Ration Rice During Onam

The Kerala Food Department has denied reports of a price hike for ration rice during the Onam festival season, calling them 'completely untrue'. The department stated that the availability of rice under the Centre's tide-over quota had affected the supply of special rice during the festival season.

According to the department, over 6,459 metric tonnes of rice were reduced from the tide-over allocation since January 2026. While the state initially received 33,294 metric tonnes of rice, it is now receiving 26,835 metric tonnes of rice and 6,459 metric tonnes of wheat.

The department attributed the change to the previous Left government, which had made repeated demands for a reduction in rice allocation. Special rice distributed during festival seasons was sourced from the tide-over quota.

To compensate for the reduction in the tide-over quota, additional rice is being made available to blue, white, and brown cardholders at Rs 26 per kg, over and above their normal ration quota. The department said this move aimed to provide relief to people during Onam despite limited stocks.