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[CAPTION]A fair price mobile van shop of the National Agricultural Cooperative Marketing Federation of India Ltd. is selling subsidized Bharat chana dal packets in New Delhi. Image: Shutterstock[/CAPTION]

On Tuesday, the government launched Bharat Rice at Rs29 per kg for retail sales. Earlier, it had tried to sell rice in bulk at the same subsidised rates through the open market sale scheme (OMSS), but eventually resorted to retail sales after a lukewarm response from consumers. The government’s move is aimed at curbing the retail price of rice and provide relief to consumers amid rising retail rates of grains.  

The Food Corporation of India (FCI) will provide 500,000 tonnes of rice for sale under the Bharat Rice brand. It will be sold through outlets of the National Agricultural Cooperative Marketing Federation of India Ltd (Nafed), Kendriya Bhandar, and National Cooperative Consumers’ Federation of India (NCCF) in 5- and 10-kg packs. Additionally, the Bharat Rice will also be sold through major ecommerce platforms and 100 mobile vans.

What is the Bharat Brand?

The Bharat Brand is a label launched by the government to provide foodgrains and other essential goods to the middle class at a subsidised price. The government had launched Bharat Atta and Bharat Dal for retail sales under the Bharat Brand earlier. Both products have rapidly gained a significant market share due to their low prices.  

Products of the Bharat Brand are priced significantly lower than those of the other market players. For instance, Bharat Rice is sold at Rs29 per kg on ecommerce platforms, while the other brands’ rice trades at Rs40 to Rs110 per kg. Similarly, Bharat Atta and Bharat Chana Dal are sold at a price of Rs27.5 and Rs60 per kg on retail outlets and ecommerce platforms, respectively. In contrast, Atta (flour) and Chana Dal (chickpea lentils) are selling at an average price of Rs50 and Rs110 per kg on the same platforms. 

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Earlier in 2022, the government launched the One Nation, One Fertilizer scheme, wherein it made it mandatory for all companies to sell subsidised fertilizer under the single brand name Bharat. As per the policy, all subsidised fertilisers like urea and DAP will have the same packaging design and label names, Bharat Urea and Bharat DAP.

The rationalisation behind the single Bharat Brand for all subsidised fertilisers’ brands is to provide clarity to farmers as all the brands have the same specified nutrient contents.