Millers from other districts to procure paddy in Koraput | Bhubaneswar News
Koraput: To ensure seamless procurement of rabi paddy during the kharif marketing season (KMS) 2024-25, the Odisha State Civil Supplies Corporation (OSCSC) Ltd has initiated the deployment of custom millers from other districts to support operations in Koraput.In an official communication addressed to the collectors of Balangir, Ganjam, Kalahandi, Malkangiri, Nabarangpur, Nuapada and Rayagada, OSCSC managing director K Sudarshan Chakravarty emphasised the urgency of cross-district deployment to meet procurement targets in Koraput. The letter calls for a list of eligible custom millers from these districts who can be mobilised to operate in Koraput.These millers will be selected based on several criteria, including shortest distance, track record and milling capacity, as outlined in the operational guidelines of KMS 2024-25, the letter stated. It further cautioned that the engagement of these outside millers must not disrupt procurement activities within their home districts.Chief civil supplies officer (Koraput), Pradeep Kumar Panda, described the measure as a vital step towards strengthening the state’s paddy procurement framework. “The strategic move is aimed at enhancing the efficiency and coverage of the state’s paddy procurement system, ensuring farmers of the district are not left behind during the critical rabi season,” he said.The move comes in the wake of the Koraput District Rice Millers Association formally notifying the district administration of their inability to participate in the procurement process due to a lack of storage capacity. Association president Tripati Rao said that godowns are overflowing as the department was yet to receive rice from the previously procured paddy under KMS 2024-25.“Only 10% of the targeted 1,70,659 metric tonnes of rice under custom milling has been received by the department so far. With our storage facilities already full, we are unable to take part in the ongoing procurement,” Rao said.However, Panda clarified that the process of receiving rice from millers is ongoing and assured the remaining stock would be collected soon, thereby resolving the storage bottleneck.
