Odisha rice millers end deadlock, agree to lift paddy after govt assures resolution of key demands

The deadlock over lifting of paddy by rice millers from designated mandis has finally come to an end following assurance from the state government to fulfil their demands within two-three weeks.

As millers remained resolute in their stand by not participating in the paddy procurement operation which started from November 25, Food Supplies and Consumer Welfare minister Krushna Chandra Patra held a meeting with members of the All Odisha Rice Millers’ Association (AORMA) and miller representatives from 30 districts at Lok Seva Bhawan here on Monday to hammer out a solution.

“We placed five out of our nine demands before the minister for immediate resolution. He agreed to meet two demands, mainly release of custody and maintenance charges for kharif marketing season (KMS) 2023-2024 and 2024-2025 and revision of transportation charges from 28 paisa to 43 paisa. He sought more time to fulfil the other demands,” AORMA president Mahesh Bansal told TNIE.

The minister, however, told reporters after the meeting that he agreed to meet four of the millers demands immediately. The main demand of the millers was enhancement of custom milling charges for raw and boiled rice. “We decided to meet again soon to sort out other issues to which they agreed. I am confident that all the issues flagged by the millers will be resolved after two-three rounds of discussion. The millers assured me to lift paddy from mandis from Tuesday,” Patra said.

AORMA general secretary Laxminarayan Deepak Ranjan Das said that the association has requested millers from districts to execute agreement with the State Civil Supply Corporation (OSCSC), the nodal agency of the government for paddy purchase under decentralised procurement system, for custom milling of paddy.

The other major demand of the millers is evacuation of about 12 lakh tonne of custom milled rice from their godowns. The minister said that the Ministry for Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution has already approved lifting of additional eight lakh tonne of rice from the annual estimate of 50 lakh tonne but the Food Corporation of India (FCI) is yet to act on the order.

The millers association had recently written to Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi expressing inability to participate in paddy procurement operation until their demands were met by the government. The CM is reported to have directed Patra to resolve the impasse arising out of non-lifting of paddy by millers from mandis following hue and cry from western Odisha farmers.

This article has been republished from The New Indian Express.