North New
New Delhi, October 28
Union Minister of Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution, Pralhad Joshi, said that that the Indian government aims to fully procure the targeted 185 lakh metric tonnes (LMT) of paddy for the Kharif Marketing Season (KMS) 2024-25 in Punjab. He emphasized that no grain of paddy will remain unprocured. Joshi also revealed plans to launch an online grievance redressal portal for rice millers to address their concerns promptly.
Paddy procurement commenced on October 1, 2024, across 2,700 designated mandis, including temporary yards. Although heavy rainfall in September delayed harvesting and procurement, the state is on track to meet its target by November. As of October 26, Punjab has received 54.5 LMT of paddy, with 50 LMT already procured, compared to 61.5 LMT from 65.8 LMT received during the same period last year.
The minimum support price (MSP) for paddy has increased significantly from ₹1,310 per quintal in 2013-14 to ₹2,300 per quintal for the current season. Out of 3,800 registered millers, 3,250 have been allocated work, with more expected to join soon.
To facilitate storage for Custom Milled Rice (CMR), high-level meetings with the Punjab government have focused on timely evacuation of wheat stocks and creating storage capacity. The government plans to evacuate 13-14 LMT of wheat monthly until March 2025 to free up storage for rice.
Additionally, millers have requested a reduction in the Out Turn Ratio (OTR) of 67% set by the Food Corporation of India (FCI), citing lower yields from the PR-126 paddy variety due to hybrid variants. The government is currently conducting a study with IIT Kharagpur to review OTR standards.
To address transportation charges incurred by millers, the FCI has empowered regional offices to approve additional transportation costs if depot space remains unavailable after a 15-day waiting period.
