Paddy lifting work in the mandis of the state has come to a halt due to the ongoing rice millers’ strike for almost a week demanding the cancellation of the new policy prepared by the Food Corporation of India for paddy procurement. Due to this, piles of paddy have started appearing in the mandis and due to the possibility of heavy rains in various areas of the state in the next two days, the farmers as well as commission agents (arthiyas) and government procurement agencies apprehend losses.

Ajit Narang, president of the District Rice Millers Association, said that as per the policy, the millers have to mix one kilo of fortified rice in one quintal of rice. According to the letter issued under new policy by the FCI, when the stock would be checked, the responsibility will be on the sheller owner if the fortified rice was found to be deficient in nutrition. He said that if the nutritional value of fortified rice was low then it was not their responsibility because the rice millers only buy it from designated units and then mix it in rice.

Narang said the drainage in paddy had been reduced from one to half per cent. If there was any deficiency in the fortified, the said penalty should be imposed upon the supplier, not the rice miller. Narang demanded that in the centres where there was surplus paddy arrival, the cut in procurement should be abolished and it should be allotted to the nearby rice millers. He said until the said new policy was not cancelled, the millers will not do the milling of the paddy nor will they stock the paddy in their shellers, also they will not send gunny bags to the mandis.

District Food Supply Officer Madhu Goyal said that so far about 1.14 lakh metric tonnes of paddy had been purchased in various markets of the district. She said that earlier the lifting work was going on smoothly but due to the strike of rice millers the work had been affected. She said that most of the paddy stock lying in the mandis was being covered with tarpaulin to protect from the rain.

Hoshiarpur