Chandigarh, Oct 14
In a major reprieve to the millers and commission agents of the state, the Union government on Monday acceded to a majority of demands raised by Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann during a meeting with Union Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution Minister Parhlad Joshi.
The Chief Minister, who called on Union Minister Joshi, apprised him that procurement of paddy is like a festival in the state.
He said the economy of the state depends on this season and it is also important for ensuring food security in the country.
Mann said during the ongoing procurement season, 185 lakh metric tons (LMT) of paddy is expected to be procured in the state and 125 LMT of fortified rice is likely to be delivered.
However, the Chief Minister said due to the persistent shortage of storage space during the previous season and the availability of only about 7 LMT storage space as of date, there is resentment amongst the rice millers of the state for carrying out milling.
Mann said this is adversely affecting the procurement and lifting of paddy from mandis thus leading to resentment amongst farmers. He urged Joshi to ensure smooth procurement operations, and movement, thereby ensuring liquidation of at least 20 LMT foodgrains per month from the state till March 31, 2025, by augmenting the movement plan.
Responding to issues raised by the Chief Minister, Joshi agreed to transport 120 lakh metric tons of paddy from outside the state by March 2025.
Flagging the issue of payment of transportation charges to millers for delivery of rice, the Chief Minister said due to the non-availability of storage space at the linked milling centres, many a time, the FCI offers space to the millers to deliver rice at their depots which are in majority of the cases located at a distance ranging from 50-100 km.
Mann said that sometimes such depots are even located outside the state, which puts an extra financial burden on the miller in terms of the cost of over-transportation.
On the issue of driage allowance, the Union Minister said that the Centre was already getting a study conducted on it at IIT Kharagpur, adding Punjab's viewpoint will also be made a part of this study.
Raising the issue of the out-turn ratio of hybrid varieties of paddy, the Chief Minister said the out-turn ratio for Grade A paddy has been fixed at 67 per cent by the Government of India.
He said considering the significant water consumption associated with traditional varieties of Grade A paddy, the state has promoted the cultivation of certain hybrid varieties in the state.
Mann apprised the Union Minister that these varieties are less water consuming and have shorter duration with higher yields thus contributing towards an increase in farmers' earnings.