Sir,

This refers to the article “A Whiff of Happiness, Late at Night!” by Dr. Javeed Nayeem in SOM dated July 30.

I am a resident of Virgnia, USA and I am from Mysuru. I do read Dr. Nayeem’s articles with great enthusiasm.  Now, I do have a slight disagreement with the second part of his write up “The Sixth Bhagya!” regarding the rice promise on behalf of our State Government and them not being able to fulfill it. 

He has written that this could be politics due to which the Centre is not releasing the rice to the State. I wish to bring to your attention that India in general has been facing rice shortages throughout and the effect of this can also be seen here in the US, where for a week or so, there has been a panic sort of situation and I am also in this situation.

There is severe shortage of rice in US and I am not able to find rice bags, that used to be stocked up in plenty in all the India stores, and have had to make do with what I could and somehow sourced about 3-4 bags of rice. 

I learnt that this is because India has banned export of rice, just like last year they had banned export of wheat! Now, we cannot call this export ban as politics as it affects our own country’s prospects and status as an exporter of large volumes of rice and the ban is simply to protect India’s domestic needs first and then to resort to exporting the surplus. It doesn’t have to be BJP Vs Congress all the time!

– Murali, Virgnia, USA, 30.7.2023

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