Telangana halts fine rice delivery to Food Corporation of India, focuses on Public Distribution System

District Collectors told to ensure smooth procurement of paddy, allocate it mill-wise to achieve required quantities of fine rice

Hyderabad: The Telangana government has halted the delivery of fine rice to the Food Corporation of India (FCI) by millers as part of the Custom Milling Programme (CMR).

State Civil Supplies Commissioner DS Chouhan announced that the fine rice — ‘Sannabiyyam’ — will be exclusively allocated for the Public Distribution System (PDS) to meet its needs.

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He directed all District Collectors to ensure the smooth procurement of paddy and allocate it mill-wise to achieve the required quantities of fine rice.

The PDS and other welfare schemes require a total of 21 lakh metric tonnes of Sannabiyyam, comprising 12.92 lakh metric tonnes for the central pool and 8.58 lakh metric tonnes for the state pool.

As of now, eight lakh metric tonnes of paddy have been procured during the Kharif marketing season, with ‘Sanna Rakam’ paddy accounting for over 1.1 lakh metric tonnes. The paddy is being moved directly from procurement centres to rice mills.

Chouhan emphasised that millers should deliver only fortified ‘Sannabiyyam’, properly stenciled on bags, to the Civil Supplies Corporation (CSC) at designated depots within the stipulated time for distribution under various schemes.

The fortified rice is enriched with essential vitamins and minerals by blending it with fortified rice kernels (FRK), addressing micronutrient deficiencies.

He wanted steps to ensure that only quality rice reached the consumers through the PDS.

The guidelines specify that no more than 1 per cent by weight of the rice shall be small broken grains, and the content of mineral matter must not exceed 0.2 per cent by weight. Impurities of animal origin must not surpass 0.10 per cent by weight.

Both raw and parboiled rice can be procured with a maximum moisture content of 15 per cent.

A value cut applies between 14 per cent to 15 per cent moisture levels, but no value cut is required up to 14 per cent moisture.

The blending ratio of fortified rice may vary from 0.9 per cent to 7.2 per cent by weight, provided the prescribed micronutrient levels are met as per the Certificate of Analysis (CoA) for FRK.