Punjab announces custom milling policy for Kharif

 by Punjabnewswire4u (Balbir)

CHANDIGARH, SEPT 27

          The Punjab Government has announced a scheme for Custom Milling of Kharif 2012-13 to ensure smooth operation of custom milling of Paddy.

According to an official spokesman this paddy would be procured by all procuring agencies including Pungrain, Markfed, Punsup, Punjab State Warehousing Corporation, Punjab Agro Foodgrains Corporation and the Food Corporation of India.

The spokesman further said that paddy procured by the procuring agencies would be got milled from the rice millers of the State as per Punjab Rice Procurement (Levy) Order 1983.
          The spokesman said that the purchase centres /mandis should be linked with the nearest milling centre/storage centre keeping in view the availability of milling capacity at the milling/storage center(s) at which paddy is proposed to be stored/got milled.

The policy has laid down very strict norms for shifting the paddy in the state or outside the state to check malpractices and pilferage. The surplus paddy, if any, at a milling centre would be shifted for its storage to the nearest milling centre keeping in view the availability of milling capacity at that centre, he said.

He said in case the nearest milling centre did not have adequate or surplus milling capacity, the surplus paddy would be shifted to the next nearest milling centre and so on.

The spokesman said that for shifting Surplus paddy, if any, available with any procuring agency in a district would be allowed only as per the plan approved by the Director Food & Supplies, Punjab and against the submission of Cash Security / Bank Guarantee / Corporate Bank Guarantee by the millers, where the paddy was proposed to be shifted.

          The spokesman further said that any rice mill which has not completed 70% work of custom milling of 2011-12 would not be eligible for lifting paddy during kharif marketing season 2012-13.  All such millers who have failed to deliver CMR less than 70% of KMS 2011-12 by 31-08-2012 should not be given any paddy for milling in KMS 2012-13. However, in case of those millers who have deposited the money against balance rice stocks of the year KMS 2011-12, would be considered for allotment only after the Government has made inquiries into the justifications/ reasons for non-delivery of CMR 2011-12 by the stipulated date.

          No defaulter rice mill shall be considered for allotment/provisional registration.