Registration of rice mills begins, high moisture hits procurement

After the assurance from the Food, Civil Supplies and Consumer Affairs Minister, Rajesh Nagar, rice millers in the district have started the registration of their mills under the Custom Milled Rice (CMR) scheme. The step is expected to streamline procurement, though officials admit that delays in online processing and high moisture content in paddy are major hurdles.

“We have started the registration of our mills under the CMR. We have submitted our files with the District Food Supplies Controller (DFSC) office, which will process them online,” said Sourabh Gupta, president of the Karnal Rice Millers and Dealers Association.

As per sources, the online process is taking time, which may further delay the allocation of grain markets to millers. Meanwhile, paddy arrival at the local grain markets has picked up, but much of the crop has a moisture content of 20-22 per cent, above the prescribed limit of 17 per cent, preventing agencies from commencing procurement.

So far, 14,823 MT paddy has arrived in the district.

Anil Kumar, DFSC, said: “The online registration issue is being resolved. In a couple of days, the millers will be registered,” he said, adding that agencies had not yet begun procurement due to the high moisture levels.

Farmers, however, alleged that the delay had left them vulnerable to private players, who were buying paddy below MSP. “We are forced to sell our paddy at Rs 2,000-2,200 per quintal, while MSP is Rs 2,369 per quintal for common paddy, and Rs 2,389 per quintal for grade ‘A’,” said Ramesh Kumar, a farmer.

Anil, another farmer, said: “The government talks of MSP, but in the mandis nobody is ready to buy at that rate. Private traders exploit the situation, and we are bearing losses.”