Citing lack of trust, millers say they won't stock paddy on premises

Citing the new rice policy of the government, office-bearers and activists of the Rice Millers Association have expressed their inability to stock paddy for milling on their premises.

They alleged that harassment by the Central food agency and state agencies on flimsy grounds in the past was the reason behind the stand taken by the millers as they feared cumulative losses.

However, they said commodity could be stocked under "single custody" of procurement agencies functioning in the grain markets of the region falling under Malerkotla and Ludhiana districts.

They alleged that harassment by the Central food agency and state agencies on flimsy grounds in the past was the reason behind the stand taken by the millers as they feared cumulative losses.

Vide a memorandum handed over to the Malerkotla Deputy Commissioner, a delegation of millers, led by Surinder Pal Sekhon and Krishan Kumar Verma, claimed that the apathy of government personnel had shattered their trust in the claims being made by the authorities regarding the availability of space for dumping paddy during the ongoing procurement season.

“Upset over harassment caused by personnel in the Central food agency and the Union government on flimsy grounds, we find no reason to believe the claims and promises being made by the government,” said Sekhon and his colleagues after handing over the memorandum to the DC.

“Though we are not in a position to stock paddy procured by various agencies according to the new rice policy, we can provide our premises to procurement agencies for stocking paddy under their single custody,” he said.

Earlier, a group of millers had suggested that the government should allocate a part of broken rice to grain-based distilleries for producing ethanol for blending with petrol, besides liberalisation of export by decreasing broken grain percentage, will invite more buyers in the international market.

The millers regretted that successive governments at the Centre and the state had failed to ensure perpetual feasibility of the rice shelling industry by way of a long-term policy that protected the interests of all stakeholders, including growers, commission agents and rice sheller owners.

“A peep into the past has established that no miller earned a stable profit as every alternative season, several millers failed to meet even the cost of inputs,” said Karan Karir, a miller.

“As 25 per cent broken grain is permitted, the quality of commodity will not be accepted in the international market,” he said, adding that a lower percentage of broken grain should be allowed. About 15-17 per cent broken grain should be diverted to grain-based distilleries producing ethanol, he said.