FCI expects to lift 85 lakh MT paddy from Punjab

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Food Corporation of India expects to lift 85 lakh metric tonne (MT) of rice from the state during this kharif marketing season, a top official of the central agency said on Wednesday.

"Last year, we lifted 76.9 lakh MT of rice from the state and this year we expect to procure 10 per cent more rice than last year," FCI general manager (Punjab) Saravjit Singh said.

He also cautioned Punjab-based rice millers not to procure paddy with more than 17% moisture content.

"If they (millers) procure paddy having moisture content of over 17% then it is possible that the level of damage in rice will rise," he said.

The word of caution came from the agency in view of heavy procurement of paddy being made by state millers which have moisture content over the permissible limit during the ongoing kharif marketing season.

The average level of moisture content in the paddy, which is arriving in the state grain markets is 20 to 21%. In some grain markets the dampness in paddy crop has even reached 25%.

"What happens is that rice millers procure paddy with higher moisture content and then store the moist paddy for milling. As a result of it, the damage content goes high in rice during milling process," Singh reasoned.

FCI has also made it clear that it would procure rice with only 3% damage content. "We will not be buying rice which has damage content above 3%," he said. However, last year, the FCI lifted rice with a damage content of 4%. FCI has also stressed that the millers should dry up the moist paddy.