JEYPORE: The district millers’ association of Koraput has appealed to the Ministry of Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution to relax the standard fixed for custom milled rice in wake of large-scale damage to paddy crops due to inclement weather.
In a memorandum to Minister Piyush Goyal on Friday, the millers’ body stated that over 50 per cent harvested paddy has been damaged in Jeypore, Kundra, Kotpad, Boipariguda and Borigumma due to heavy rains and this has resulted in poor milling outturn.
Most of the milled rice, they said, is discoloured and broken due to damaged paddy and may not match the Fair Average Quality (FAQ) specifications as fixed by the Food Corporation of India (FCI). Taking the ground reality into consideration, the Ministry should take steps to relax the quality standards of custom-milled rice and help farmers whose paddy crops suffered due to bad weather in the district, the millers appealed. They also demanded rice outturn to 62 kg a quintal instead of 67kg after custom milling.
General secretary of the millers’ association Gopal Chandra Panda said the quality relaxation demand, if considered by the Centre, will help both farmers and millers in the ongoing kharif season. Kharif paddy procurement is scheduled to begin from December 15 in Koraput district.