Kerala Budget: ₹2,333.64 crore to strengthen food security and price control mechanisms

The Kerala government has announced a major push to strengthen food security and price control mechanisms by earmarking ₹2,333.64 crore for the Food and Civil Supplies department in the State Budget presented in the Assemby on Thursday (January 29, 2026).

The allocation marks an increase of ₹267.24 crore over the previous year.

The Budget also proposes the modernisation of 100 Supplyco outlets during 2026-27. An amount of ₹17.80 crore has been set aside for outlet upgrades and enterprise resource planning.

An additional ₹75 crore has been set aside for market intervention through Consumerfed, while ₹95.55 crore has been earmarked specifically for the activities of the Civil Supplies department related to ration distribution and price regulation.

Finance Minister K.N. Balagopal, while presenting the Budget, described Kerala’s public distribution system as among the most effective in the country. It presently serves 94.92 lakh families, including priority card holders. The government has expanded coverage by bringing families, which were excluded from the National Food Security Act, under the ration supply scheme. Ration distribution is also being carried out through mobile ration shops in remote tribal settlements, coastal regions and disaster-affected areas. To curb price rise, Supplyco continues its market intervention efforts by selling 13 essential commodities at discounts of up to 50%, the Minister said.