BJD in RS demands procurement of 28 lakh tons of surplus parboiled rice'

With paddy crop lying in the field and prediction of a cyclonic storm soon to hit the Odisha coast, BJD on Friday appealed the central government to procure its surplus grain in interest of farmers

With paddy crop lying in the field and prediction of a cyclonic storm soon to hit the Odisha coast, Biju Janata Dal (BJD) on Friday appealed the central government to procure its surplus grain in interest of farmers.

Raising the issue during Zero Hour in the Upper House, BJD leader Prasanna Charya said the central government has issued an order not to procure a "single grain" of parboiled rice from Odisha and other states like Telangana.

He said the state grows maximum amount of parboiled rice in the country and the current surplus parboiled rice in Odisha is about 28 lakh tonne.

Charya said that earlier, the central government through the Food Corporation of India (FCI) used to procure the entire surplus parboiled rice from Odisha, Telangana, and other states.

"This is seriously going to hamper the procurement," he said, citing the possibility of heavy rains in the state.

For hundreds of years, people in the state have been consuming more parboiled rice than raw rice. "If you are not going to procure our parboiled rice, should we throw all surplus parboiled rice in the Bay of Bengal," he asked.

Non-procurement of surplus parboiled rice in Odisha will add to the farmers' existing woes, he added.

The BJD leader further informed the House that in February, the Union Food Minister had promised to procure parboiled rice from Odisha.

But now the Central government is going back on its words and has issued an order not to procure parboiled rice, he said.

He urged the central government to change the order and help farmers of Odisha, Telangana and other states.

He also said the state chief minister and food minister have written letters in this regard.