BHUBANESWAR: In what could pose a major problem for Odisha government which is struggling with a huge surplus rice stock, the Ministry of Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution has informed that lifting of parboiled rice by Food Corporation of India (FCI) has been severely impacted due to low demand in the consuming states.
Clarifying the constraints faced by FCI in the monthly rice movement from Odisha as per the action plan, the ministry said three major consuming states of parboiled rice - Bihar, West Bengal and Jharkhand - have now become rice surplus and meeting their internal demand from their own procurement under the decentralised procurement system (DCP). Movement of rice from Odisha largely depends on the requirement of the three states.
As per the annual action plan prepared by FCI for Odisha, the total rice offtake for the kharif marketing season 2024-25 has been fixed at 50 lakh tonne as against the actual production of 62 lakh tonne. After taking the internal consumption and supply under public distribution system at 24 lakh tonne, the state is having a surplus of 26 lakh tonne for evacuation by FCI.
“The central agency has so far lifted 14.33 lakh tonne till the end of July leaving a stockpile of nearly 12 lakh tonne with the rice millers. The state government has lifted 16 lakh tonne for distribution under PDS and balance stock of eight lakh tonne is with the millers who are facing a gigantic problem of storage,” said general secretary of All Odisha Rice Millers Association Laxminarayan Deepak Ranjan Das.
However, FCI sources said that lifting of rice from the state is 77 per cent of the target till June, 2025. It has already evacuated 6.19 lakh tonne as against 8.9 lakh tonne. There is a stock of 3.8 lakh tonne of parboiled rice and 72,000 tonne of raw rice in its godowns in the state.
Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi had held a meeting with Union Consumer Affairs minister Parlhad Joshi on the issue during his recent visit to Delhi. Deputy chief minister KV Singh Deo and BJP MPs from the state had also met him while Union minister Dharmendra Pradhan had led a delegation of rice millers to him on August 4 and explained about the difficulties they are facing due to sluggish evacuation of rice by FCI from the state.
“Joshi has assured us to ensure quick movement of rice from Odisha after August as the focus of FCI is now on clearing the stocks from Punjab and Haryana, the two major rice producing states,” Das said.