Millers worried over excessive moisture in processed rice

Sanjay Bumbroo

Tribune News Service

Nabha, December 11

Resentment prevails among rice millers as the moisture in the rice produced after its processing was much higher than the set norms by different state purchasing agencies and the Food Corporation of India.

The Centre and the state government had set a permissible limit of 17 per cent moisture content for paddy but various state purchasing agencies had purchased the paddy with a moisture content of 18 per cent to 24 per cent and stored in various rice mills in the region for processing. The purchasing of the paddy with a higher moisture level was done due to the dense smog conditions prevailing in the region during the previous month. The rice millers have to deliver the rice with 14 per cent moisture content whereas the processed rice was showing a moisture content of over 

15 per cent.

Rice millers Tejinder Singh Teji, Ashok Bansal and Harish Kumar said despite their best efforts to dry the paddy before processing, the moisture level in the processed rice was much more than the set norms of the government.

They claimed that they would not only have to grease the palms of purchasing officials but would also have to pay hefty fines per truck, causing them losses to the tune of several lakhs. They alleged that due to the pressure of the state government to lift the paddy for milling, they were facing heavy losses and their mills would be on the verge of closure if the Central and state governments did not find any solution to their problems.

Nakesh Jindal, spokesman for the Punjab Rice Millers Association, said millers across the state were facing the same issue. He said only 10 per cent of the millers have dryers installed in rice mills and rest of the millers had to dry the processed rice under direct sunlight for lowering the moisture level.

He said as the winter had set in, it would be difficult for the millers to meet the norms set by the Central Government this year and would have to bear a loss of over Rs 5,000 per wagon during the milling season of 2017-18.

He urged the Central Government to frame a policy in this regard to give some relief to the millers 

who were already facing a financial crisis.