Pb rice millers threaten to boycott milling for paddy season

Accusing state-owned procurement agencies of harassing them by demanding "unjustified dues", Punjab-based rice millers today threatened to boycott milling for the upcoming paddy procurement season.
Agitating millers under the banner of Punjab Rice Millers' Association sought a meeting with state Food and Civil Supplies Minister Adesh Partap Singh Kairon to resolve their issues on urgent basis.
"State-owned procurement agencies have started harassing us unnecessarily by demanding unjustified payments from rice millers," Punjab Rice Millers Association President Tarsem Saini said today.
He added that millers are being asked to pay charges for deviating from the monthly schedule of rice delivery.
"As per usual practice, we were never asked to pay any charges for any monthly delay in rice delivery once the rice is delivered at the end of milling season. But now they are asking to pay charges on the same," he said, adding that Value Added Tax was also being asked to pay on the value cut of crop.

Rice Millers further pointed out that the procurement agencies have also been asked to pay charges for jute bags used during 2014-15.

"We will not participate in rice milling in the coming paddy procurement season if such harassment was not stopped," he said.
Millers said instead of demanding recoveries from them, the agencies should pay them the sum owed.
"We are yet to be paid about Rs 200 crore of transportation charges for rice delivered to the FCI in 2003-04 despite FCI paying the amount of state agencies to pay us," he claimed.
They further said that they were also not paid the transportation charges for transporting paddy for the last two seasons.

Accusing procurement agencies of preparing anti-millers policies, Saini said that millers would not tolerate the "unwarranted" stance of these agencies, asking the state government to resolve their issues.
Paddy procurement usually starts from October for central pool in Punjab.