Chandigarh: After samples of rice supplied from Punjab to other states failed quality tests, the Union ministry of consumer affairs, food, and public distribution clarified on Wednesday that no issues of undue rejection of rice on quality grounds had been reported.
The clarification was issued in response to a question by Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) MP Harsimrat Kaur Badal, who asked the ministry to explain how the govt plans to address the rejection of Punjab’s rice, despite it being procured by the Food Corporation of India (FCI) and state agencies.
Controversy recently erupted after rice samples shipped from Punjab to several states, including Karnataka, Arunachal Pradesh, and Nagaland, failed quality tests.
Responding to a query about any incidents of rice from other states being smuggled into Punjab and sold to procurement agencies due to quality rejection, the ministry said no such incidents had been reported.
The ministry explained that in Punjab, paddy was primarily procured by state govt agencies, and custom milled rice (CMR) was delivered to FCI. The paddy is procured at minimum support price (MSP) according to uniform specifications laid down by the Centre to ensure remunerative prices for farmers. However, in case of natural calamities, relaxations in uniform specifications of affected food grains are provided to facilitate smooth procurement and prevent distress sales or rejections.
The ministry emphasised that there is a robust procurement system and a multi-layered quality check for the acceptance of milled rice by FCI. If any lots are found to exceed the rejection limits or fail to meet prescribed specifications, they are replaced by fair average quality (FAQ) stocks by the millers concerned.
During kharif marketing season (KMS) 2024-25, around 172 lakh metric tonnes (LMT) of paddy have been procured from farmers in Punjab. Of this, 169 LMT has been lifted from the state’s mandis and stored at milling points. FCI has already started accepting rice from millers as per Government of India specifications, with 94,000 MT already accepted.
Regarding long-term strategies to improve agricultural practices, particularly rice production, and to prevent future occurrences of substandard quality affecting state procurement, the ministry stressed that every effort is being made to ensure the quality of stocks at all levels. The govt remains committed to procuring all paddy offered for sale in Punjab according to quality specifications laid down by the govt and ensuring farmers smoothly benefit from the MSP regime.