Chandigarh, 23 October, 2024: Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann urged Union Home Minister Amit Shah to address the pressing issues faced by the state’s rice millers during a recent phone call while stating that the procurement of paddy from mandis in Punjab has stalled because rice millers are refusing to process the crop until their demands are met.
“Today, I spoke to Union Home Minister Amit Shah and urged him to address the issues of rice millers and arhtiyas (commission agents) as soon as possible,” Mann stated.
He explained that several factors, including high transportation costs, inadequate storage, complications with hybrid varieties, and financial losses for sheller owners, are jeopardizing the procurement process. He called on the Union government to resolve these issues for the greater good of the country.
Mann said that the rice millers’ demands are largely tied to the central government. “Punjab contributes significantly to the central pool of crops, and this year, we are set to contribute 180 lakh metric tonnes of paddy,” he noted. He also pointed out the urgent need to move 130 lakh metric tonnes of rice from last year, currently stored in Punjab, to other states to alleviate the storage crisis.
“We stand with farmers, rice shellers, and arhtiyas,” Mann affirmed.
He expressed optimism that the home minister would address their concerns. However, he reassured that paddy procurement continues and that farmers are being compensated for their produce.
Mann acknowledged some challenges with paddy lifting in certain districts but assured that these would be resolved within a couple of days.
Moreover, rice millers have raised concerns about the out-turn ratio of the PR-126 paddy variety, which they claim is less than the Centre’s fixed standard of 67%. They are demanding permission to process only 64 kg of rice from one quintal of this paddy due to the reduced yield.
As procurement efforts ramp up for the 2024-25 kharif marketing season, the target has been set at 185 lakh metric tonnes of paddy from Punjab. The rice millers are also calling for the Centre to liquidate existing wheat and paddy stocks to create sufficient space for the new harvest, while commission agents are pressing for increased commission rates.
