Haryana: Rice millers cry foul over shortage of kernels, seek intervention

Citing shortage of Fortified Rice Kernels (FRK), a delegation of the Haryana Rice Millers and Dealers Association recently met Food, Civil Supplies and Consumer Affairs Minister Rajesh Nagar in Chandigarh, seeking more authorised suppliers to ensure timely delivery of custom-milled rice (CMR) to the Food Corporation of India.

Millers said the minister directed the Director General to ensure equal availability of FRK and warned of action against black marketing.

Hans Raj Singla, president of the association, said under the CMR schedule, 15% rice was to be delivered by December-end, 25% by January-end, 20% by February-end, 15% by March-end, 15% by May-end and 10% by June-end.

He said only four FRK suppliers have been authorised to supply about 30,000 MT to nearly 1,400 millers. “So far, a few millers got a small quantity of FRK, which is insufficient, due to which millers could not meet the deadline of CMR delivery,” he said.

Chairman Jewel Singla said, “Due to shortage of FRK, we are not getting fortified rice, due to which millers are under stress. We requested the minister to increase the number of FRK.”

This article has been republished from The Tribune.