New specifications for paddy procurement irk farmers, millers

STRICTER QUALITY CONTROL MEASURES HAVE BEEN PUT IN PLACE FOR THE MILLERS AS BROKEN GRAIN PERCENTAGE HAS BEEN REDUCED TO 20% FROM THE EARLIER 25%

PATIALA: The new quality specification fixed by the central government for the procurement of paddy has irked rice millers and farmers in Punjab.

The rice millers in the state have already threatened to boycott the procurement process, terming the new rules as an indirect attack on farmers, who are protesting against the three farm laws for more than nine months.

According to the new specifications in case of rice, stricter quality control measures have been put in place for the millers as broken grain percentage has been reduced to 20% from the earlier 25%.

Moreover, the moisture content in rice to be accepted from millers has also been reduced from 15% to 14%. The damaged grain percentage has come down from 3% to 2%, while the red grains, which earlier had the limit of 3%, will not be accepted as per new specifications.

In the case of paddy unloaded at grain markets, the central government has reduced the moisture content limit from 17% to 16%, while the permissible limit of foreign matter (organic and inorganic) has been lowered from 2% to 1%. The percentage of discoloured, sprouted and damaged has been reduced to 3% from 5%.

Jagmohan Singh, general secretary of BKU (Dakaunda), said the Centre is hell-bent on taking anti-farmer stance. “We were demanding increase in the moisture content, but the government has reduced it in the new specifications. With the new rules, the government is inching forward in implementing its plan to minimise procurement process across the country,” Singh said.

President of the Punjab Rice Millers Association Tarsem Saini said the new specifications are neither millerfriendly nor farmer or consumer-friendly.

“The central government has ignored major stakeholders while coming up with these norms. Not even a single farmer or a rice miller was part of expert committee which recommended these specifications,” he said.

Saini said the state government should take up the matter strongly with Centre as it is not viable to follow new norms on the ground.

On August 29, Punjab BJP chief Ashwani Kumar wrote to Union minister for consumer affairs, food and Public distribution Piyush Goyal for his immediate intervention to put these specifications on hold.

“These would have adverse effect on the farmers as it is very difficult to deal the with moisture content at the time of harvesting and procurement due to decrease in temperature,” Sharma had said.