In a bid to mount pressure on millers to supply the custom milled rice (CMR) in time to the Food Corporation of India (FCI), the Civil Supplies Department has decided to store the paddy to be procured this season at intermediary points instead of rice mills as has been the practice all along.
Minister for Civil Supplies Gangula Kamalakar held a meeting with the District Supplies Officers, District Managers of Civil Supplies Corporation here on Monday to review the issue of inordinate delays in CMR supplies by several rice mills in the State. Officials explained to the minister that the delay in the supply of CMR had cost the department over ₹700 crore for 2019-20 and 2020-21 seasons as about 2 lakh tonnes of CMR pertaining to the two years was still due.
A similar quantity of CMR pertaining to the 2021-22 was also due from millers and the extended deadline fixed by FCI for its supply ended on August 31. The State government has requested the Central agency one more month of grace time for supply of the due CMR but there has been no response.
