BHUBANESWAR: Custom milling of rice under the decentralised paddy procurement for the current kharif marketing season (KMS) 2025-26 is likely to be hit with rice millers serving an ultimatum to the government over not executing any agreement with the Odisha State Civil Supplies Corporation (OSCSC) until the stock of last season is evacuated from their godowns and their other demands are met.
The millers have sought urgent intervention of Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi for lifting of the custom-milled rice (CMR) to the tune of 12 lakh tonne lying with them. Repeated requests to Food Supplies and Consumer Welfare department for removal of existing CMR stock to make space for paddy to be procured for KMS 2025-26 from December 25 has failed to yield any positive response, they complained.
In a memorandum to the chief minister, millers under the banner of All Odisha Rice Millers Association (AORMA) said, “We have been forced to shut down our mills for months due to non-lifting of CMR by Food Corporation of India (FCI) and OSCSC. Our losses are increasing exponentially due to non-cooperation and non-adherence to guidelines of the government.”
Association president Mahesh Kumar Bansal said, “We have clearly stated in the memorandum to the chief minister that our participation in paddy procurement and custom milling during the current KMS depends on the fulfilment of our genuine demands.”
The memorandum to the chief minister said, “Custom millers will execute agreement for milling rice only after completion of entire CMR delivery of last KMS 2024-25, engagement of transport contractor for supply of paddy from mandis to rice mills and delivery of rice from the mills to OSCSC and FCI.”
Bansal said that the millers have decided not to store any paddy in their godowns and will only lift paddy to the quantity of CMR delivered. The association has requested the government to make its own management and arrangement for safe storage of paddy.
Bansal also said the government had assured the rice millers before the commencement of paddy procurement for KMS 2024-25 to increase the custom milling charges but is yet keep its promise.
After much persuasion from the state government, the Union Food Ministry had revised the rice procurement estimate for KMS 2024-25 from 50 lakh tonne to 58 lakh tonne in October, but not a single grain has been lifted by FCI. Food Supplies and Consumer Welfare minister Krushan Chandar Patra who met Union Food and Consumer Affairs minister Pralhad Joshi on November 19 in New Delhi requested for early evacuation of CMR by FCI for the state.