Punjab millers stare at low rice yield, higher losses
Rice millers in Punjab face a tough season as much of the procured paddy is damaged or discoloured beyond limits. Farmers received relaxed norms, but millers did not, increasing breakage and reducing recovery. With lower production and strict FCI standards, millers fear losses while competing for limited paddy.
Rice millers in Punjab are staring at a challenging milling season, as a large portion of the paddy procured during the kharif season has arrived damaged and discoloured beyond the permissible limits of 5%.
Despite the Centre’s decision to relax procurement norms for farmers—allowing government agencies to buy paddy with up to 10% discolouration or damage following widespread floods and incessant rainfall in the months of August and September, the same relaxation has not been extended to rice millers responsible for milling the crop.
In a demi official letter, dated November 10, to the state’s food and civil supplies department, the nodal agency for food grains procurement in Punjab, the Centre said, “Based on the analysis of paddy samples collected by the joint team on October 13 to 17, the relaxations in uniform specifications of paddy allowed include the limit of damaged/discoloured/sprouted and weevilled grains is relaxed up to 10% against the existing limit of 5% subject to the condition that the damaged, sprouted and weevilled grains do not exceed 4%.”
Ironically, the relaxation came at the fag end of the procurement season, with most of the farmers’ produce facing a value cut on the minimum support price (MSP) of ₹2,369 per quintal. But the Centre did not extend any relaxation to the millers.
As per the norms, the millers are supposed to hand over two-thirds rice from a given quantity of paddy procured in the state to the Food Corporation of India (FCI) to be distributed across the nation under the public distribution system.
Tarsem Saini, president of the rice millers’ association, said that the millers have been quietly absorbing the pressure because the competition to secure their quota from the available paddy is fierce, referring to procurement of just 156 lakh tonnes against the estimated target of 180 lakh tonnes.
“Millers are not speaking up openly because everyone is vying to secure their paddy quota. The production has fallen by nearly 20% this year, so the supply itself is scarce. Nobody wants to risk losing their share,” Saini explained.
Mill owners argue that milling paddy with such high levels of discolouration not only reduces output but also increases breakage and lowers overall recovery. Many fear that the FCI will not accept rice produced from degraded grain if it fails to meet strict quality benchmarks, leaving them with stock they cannot pass on.
For now, as trucks loaded with subpar paddy continue rolling into mill compounds, the mood among millers is guarded. The millers quietly admit they expect a season defined more by damage control and staying in the business than by production efficiency and making substantial profits.
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Source : Hindustan Times
