Punjab: FRK not arrived, custom milling of rice delayed by over 2 months

The custom milling of rice in Punjab is incomplete, the rice millers are idle for more than two months, and the central pool keeps waiting for rice from the state — all because fortified rice kernel (FRK) has not reached the millers for blending.

The state’s food, civil supplies and consumer affairs department empanels the manufacturers who supply fortified rice kernel (FRK) for blending before the CMR (custom-milled rice) is delivered to the Food Corporation of India (FCI) for the central pool. The 1% FRK blending in 100-kilogram CMR is for making rice a healthy food, since the FRK has three micronutrients — iron, folic acid, and Vitamin B12.

Normally, almost 25% custom-milled rice reaches the central pool by December 31 since custom milling starts in November but milling in the kharif marketing season (KMS) 2023-24 is yet to begin. Neighbouring state Haryana is in a similar situation. Punjab is expected to deliver almost 120 lakh metric tonnes of rice to the central pool. Custom milling converts 67% of every 100-kilogram paddy to rice.

Punjab’s procurement agencies floated the tenders for empanelling the FRK manufacturers in September 2023, with bids to be made by October 4, but these tenders were cancelled for technical reasons. The tenders were refloated for inviting bids by late December. Sources claim that it might take at least another 10 days to finalise everything for manufacturing the FRK. Two months of paying for electricity while keeping the labour idle will also hurt the rice millers, Besides the bank interest for using the limits for more time has also piled up.

The millers have asked the state government to make way for the delivery of FRK to them by finalising the manufacturers. Every kilogram of the FRK costs almost Rs 50 to the millers, while the CMR costs them about Rs 35 a kg. Akhil Bhartiya Sheller Sangh president Prem Goyal has shot emails to the Prime Minister’s Office, Union food ministry, Punjab chief minister, and the state food minister, requesting them to compensate the millers for the delay.

This article has been republished from The Times of India.