Concession to millers in paddy lifting irks commission agents

Vice-president of Punjab arhtiya association and president of Ferozepur arhtiya association Nand Kishore Gugan said,“A total of 6.87 lakh quintal of paddy has been dumped in various mandis of Ferozepur and we don’t see any chance of its lifting. When the government can waive off security charges for the adjoining districts,why will anyone come to our mandis to pick the stock where they have to pay the security which is refunded after about a year.”

Captain Parveen Vij,district Food and Civil Supplies Controller of Mansa confirmed the special waiver has been offered to the three districts. However,he refused to divulge the reason for this special waiver.

Sources revealed that huge stock of last year’s PAU 201 paddy variety has been stocked in the various godowns of these districts and hence the government has offered the millers from outside to lift paddy from mandis as well as godowns without paying security charges. The move will help to clear old stock along with new.

Sources from the Food and Civil Supplies department confirmed that lifting of grains has been smooth in these districts following the waiver of security.

Nand Kishore Gugan said,“The stock which came in early October is facing the maximum problem. The grains have discoloured more than 6 per cent. The new instructions of the Central government to allow lifting of up to 10 per cent discoloured paddy have come for the stock purchased from November 1 onwards. Earlier the condition was of 4 per cent. So this stock has no chance of being lifted. The government should give a serious thought about the piled up stock in mandis and the ways to get it lifted.”