The rice millers' association in Koraput district has alleged that it is being forced by officials to lift paddy under custom milling without quality analysis at procurement centres in the ongoing kharif marketing season (KMS).
The association feared it may not be able to provide quality rice to the Government after custom milling as it is forced to accept non-fair average quality (non-FAQ) paddy.
Association president Purna Chandra Patnaik said the Government has set guidelines to procure FAQ paddy, but quality check is not done at the mandis. When the millers are forced by officials to accept non-FAQ paddy, how can they deliver FAQ rice and targeted quantity fixed by the Government, he questioned.
In this regard, the association has submitted a memorandum to Commissioner-cum-Secretary of the Food Supplies and Consumer Welfare Department and a copy to the Koraput district administration demanding examination of quality of paddy procured and stocked at various mills.
Though over 12 lakh quintals of paddy have been procured in the district during the KMS, not a single bag of non-FAQ paddy has been found as quality check is not being done, said the association.
Admitting that quality check of paddy is not being done at mandis due to lack of adequate infrastructure, a senior official of the Civil Supplies Department said it is the duty of the Regulated Market Committee (RMC) to analyse the quality of paddy at the mandis.
However, an RMC (Jeypore) official said it is not possible to check the quality of the entire procured paddy at the mandis. Random checking of paddy bags is done to analyse quality.