New Delhi || 28-10-2024
Union Minister of Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution and New and Renewable Energy, Pralhad Joshi held a Press Conference on Sunday on the measures taken by the Union Government to ensure seamless paddy and Custom Milled Rice (CMR) procurement in Punjab State.
The Minister reiterated that the target of 185 LMT fixed for Kharif Marketing Season (KMS) 2024-25 will be fully procured and not a single grain of paddy will be left unprepared. The Minister also announced that an online portal for grievance redressal of rice millers will be launched shortly so that any difficulties faced by the stakeholders can be addressed promptly.
In Punjab, the procurement of paddy officially commenced on October 1, 2024, with 2700 designated mandis, including temporary yards, to ensure smooth operations. Due to heavy rainfall in September and higher moisture content in paddy, the harvesting and procurement were slightly delayed. However, despite a late start, the state is on track now to achieve its target of procuring 185 LMT of paddy by November 2024. All measures are in place to ensure smooth procurement operations in Punjab for KMS 2024-25.
Minister Joshi informed that Procurement all over the country is primarily based on uniform specifications, commonly called Fair Average Quality (FAQ). Moreover, a study has been assigned to IIT Kharagpur for reviewing the present OTR and Driage incidentals of Paddy and the work is in progress. For this purpose, tests are being conducted in different rice procuring states including Punjab.
He also told that With regard to the additional transportation charges incurred by the Rice millers, FCI has delegated power to the Regional level to allow additional transportation charges in case vacant space is not available in the designated depot beyond a waiting period of 15 days. The necessary customization for enabling the same has been made in the procurement portal. This issue has already been resolved to the satisfaction of the millers.
