The purchase of parmal variety under the Kharif marketing season usually starts on October 1 but was preponed to September 22 last season. Even as farmers demand early paddy procurement in the state, majority of rice millers are unwilling to register for custom-milled rice (CMR) operations due to pending issues with the Union government.
However, millers and dealers associations have already announced a boycott of procurement and CMR operations over unresolved issues from the previous season. President of Karnal Rice Millers and Dealers Association Saurabh Gupta said apart from pending payments for milling and transportation, around 6 lakh metric tonne (LMT) of CMR is lying in mills across the state due to non-acceptance by the Food Corporation of India (FCI).
“A few other pending issues need resolution, and we will seek time from the chief minister for a meeting. However in some respite, the Union government on Thursday decided to extend the deadline for delivery of Custom Milled Rice (CMR) till September 30, 2026. He said that if the CMR remains at the mills, they will be listed as defaulters by the government due to non-acceptance of the stock.
“So, we have decided not to participate in the procurement,” Gupta added. However, they will still wait before deciding on participating in the procurement process, said Chhabra. We also do not want the farmers to suffer,” Chhabra told the HT.
A state-level meeting of the Haryana Pradesh Rice Millers and Dealers Association, chaired by state president Amarjit Chhabra, was held in Kaithal on Sunday to discuss and press for their demands.
