Even as paddy procurement is going on in full swing, the State Government is set to bear huge losses as a large number of rice millers are not delivering rice within the timeframe.
Officials familiar with the development said the Odisha State Civil Supplies Corporation (OSCSC) is facing a tough time due to the millers, for whom the corporation would have to bear the loss.
As the paddy collection vis-à-vis rice delivery is being closely monitored by the Department of Food Supplies and Consumer Welfare on a regular basis, it has come to notice that in several districts, rice millers have started defaulting in rice delivery.
“The millers have not delivered the requisite quantities of custom milled rice (CMR) to the Government agencies against the paddy they received from the procuring agencies,” said a senior official.
While the millers have lifted 12,54,259 quintals of paddy as on date, they are supposed to deliver 8,48,100 quintals of rice. However, only over 30,900 quintals of rice has been received from the millers, which is barely 3.65 per cent.
As a matter of fact, Nabarangpur is one of the worst-performing districts as far as delivery of rice is concerned. Even as this district has engaged 22 millers for paddy procurement, only one miller has delivered rice and others have defaulted.
These millers lag far behind their individual targets; and this is going to be a serious issue, said officials.
Senior officials have expressed serious concern over the millers defaulting in their jobs brazenly. The district authorities have been asked to review the situation and take the millers to task, said a senior official.
A similar situation is also witnessed in Koraput district, officials admitted. Sources said that as many as 14 rice millers in the district have lifted paddy but are not delivering rice in time.
While the district Collector is regularly monitoring the situation, things are not improving due to intervention of the field-level officials with defaulting millers, pointed out an official.
Keeping this in view, attempts are being made to allow rice millers from other districts to go in for paddy collection.
In Nuapada district, 11 millers are engaged in lifting paddy. Due to continuous monitoring, the millers are somehow delivering rice though not to the full extent, officials said.
As over 1,400 millers in the State have much more capacity than the procurement target, there should not be any problem in procuring paddy and delivering rice in time, said the officials.
It is alleged that as a large number of millers are allegedly engaged in malpractices, they are delaying delivery of rice, said knowledgeable sources.
The OSCSC is facing a heavy burden of interest payment due to the default of the millers; and if they continue to default then the corporation would incur huge losses, apprehend officials.