In a bid to mount pressure on millers to supply the custom milled rice (CMR) in time to the Food Corporation of India (FCI), the Civil Supplies Department has decided to store the paddy to be procured this season at intermediary points instead of rice mills as has been the practice all along.
Minister for Civil Supplies Gangula Kamalakar held a meeting with the District Supplies Officers, District Managers of Civil Supplies Corporation here on Monday to review the issue of inordinate delays in CMR supplies by several rice mills in the State. Officials explained to the minister that the delay in the supply of CMR had cost the department over ₹700 crore for 2019-20 and 2020-21 seasons as about 2 lakh tonnes of CMR pertaining to the two years was still due.
A similar quantity of CMR pertaining to the 2021-22 was also due from millers and the extended deadline fixed by FCI for its supply ended on August 31. The State government has requested the Central agency one more month of grace time for supply of the due CMR but there has been no response.
Official sources in the Civil Supplies Department stated that the government had come to conclusion that some millers were wilfully delaying the supply of CMR to put the department in a fix before the FCI. The decision to store the paddy to be procured this Kharif Marketing Season at storage points other than rice mills was taken to exert pressure on the millers to supply CMR in time.
“The threat to get the paddy to be procured this KMS in mills of the neighbouring States is also issued in the direction although the exercise of shifting paddy to mills in neighbouring States to get the CMR is filled with challenges. It’s a herculean task to do that,” the source said adding that the mills with clean record in the State could ultimately get an opportunity mill CMR this season.
To keep the authorities on their toes in dealing with the issue, the Minister cautioned that they would be held responsible henceforth for the delays in supply of CMR by millers. The Minister’s decision that he would undertake visit to districts personally indicates the gravity of the situation. He expressed dismay over the slow pace of milling for CMR taking place in the State.
The decision to store the paddy to procured this KMS at storage points other than rice mills was also taken since over 77 lakh tonnes of paddy procured during the last 3-4 crop seasons was also lying with the millers. The authorities have been tasked to identify space to be utilised as points for keeping the paddy of this Kharif season.
For info-box:
Status of Paddy Cultivation, Rice production in TS
Paddy is cultivated in about 65 lakh acres this Kharif season
Production of paddy like to be at least 1.45 lakh tonnes
Rice milled from paddy estimated to be around 95 lakh tonnes
State facing problem in supply of CMR to FCI over the last 5-6 crop seasons
Some mills yet to supply CMR pertaining to 2019-20 to Government
There are over 2,300 rice mills in the State
Over 200 mills blacklisted as defaulters in CMR supply
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