Sonepur: With barely a month-and-a-half left for the 2025–26 Kharif paddy procurement to begin in Subarnapur district, concerns have been raised over the sluggish lifting of rice from mills under the Kharif Marketing Season (KMS) 2024–25.
As of Monday, only 59.39% of custom-milled rice (CMR) from last season has reportedly been collected by the government, leaving nearly 40% of the total rice stock piled up in local mills. It leaves little room for the upcoming paddy harvest.
Officials and farmer organisations fear this could disrupt the procurement process scheduled to start in the second week of December. Subarnapur, a major paddy-producing district in Odisha, supplies around 30,000 quintals of rice monthly for the Public Distribution System (PDS). Preparations are underway to procure paddy from 71,453 registered farmers this season. However, the slow pace of CMR lifting threatens to derail those plans.
“If the existing stock is not cleared by December 10, millers will not be able to take in new paddy, and procurement could face serious disruption,” warned district officials.
During KMS 2024–25, millers in Subarnapur reportedly procured 61.88 lakh quintals of paddy, from which they were required to supply 42.31 lakh quintals of CMR to the government. So far, only 25.12 lakh quintals have been delivered, leaving a backlog of 17.18 lakh quintals in several mills in the district.
It is worthwhile to mention here that millers deliver CMR to Food Corporation of India (FCI) depots at Dunguripali and Sonepur. But with rice movement to other states stalled, FCI storage at both depots has reached capacity, halting further CMR intake.
The absence of train movement and limited space in state-run storage centres have compounded the problem, slowing FCI’s collection drive. As a result, millers are struggling to clear stocks in time.
“The delay in rice lifting could affect the smooth start of the procurement season. Both clearing old rice and receiving new paddy simultaneously will strain the system,” said Baikunthanath Satapathy, president of the District Farmers’ Organisation, and Pradyumna Kumar Padhi, head of the Nabanirman Krushak Sangathan.
Notably, over 82,000 hectares of paddy have been cultivated in the district this year. Farmers have already registered with Primary Agricultural Cooperative Societies (PACS) and women’s self-help groups to sell their produce.
The state government, which offers ₹800 per quintal as input subsidy, expects higher paddy production this season due to favourable weather and increased farmer participation.
Farmer groups have urged the administration to expedite CMR lifting to ensure uninterrupted procurement and payment.
District Supply Officer Nirad Ranjan Das said the issue has been reported to higher authorities. “We’ve apprised the government through various forums. If the mill godowns are not cleared soon, we may face serious difficulties during the upcoming procurement drive,” he said.
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