Punjab rice millers are facing a storage squeeze as old paddy and rice stocks remain in mills and Food Corporation of India godowns while the next procurement season approaches.
The Centre has extended the deadline for delivery of Custom Milled Rice to November 30, while new paddy procurement is scheduled to begin on October 1. The overlap leaves millers with limited space and little downtime for maintenance.
The problem illustrates how procurement policy depends on logistics after the MSP purchase is made. Storage capacity, movement of grain across states, milling cycles and export policy can all determine whether a procurement system functions smoothly.