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The Hindu
8 hours ago
- General
- The Hindu
Thoothukudi councillors oppose water tariff hike, urge road repairs at council meeting
Thoothukudi Mayor Jegan Periyasamy announced that the work to widen the Puckle Canal by five metres has been initiated. The 6-km stretch of the canal, beginning from Food Corporation of India (FCI) godown, will be widened in such a way that the cement roads on both sides of the canal are not damaged. The announcement was made at the Thoothukudi Corporation Council meeting on Thursday. Several councillors raised concerns about several issues, including the decision to increase drinking water charges. They said that since the property tax and professional tax had been increased, the decision to increase water charge should be revoked. They urged the Corporation to control the stray dog menace in the city, causing great distress to the public. AIADMK councillor Manthiramoorthy said cracks had been developing in the newly constructed Urban Health and Wellness Centre at Caldwell Colony. He said the facility, which was meant for the poor and underprivileged people, was showing signs of structural failure, in just 20 days after its inauguration. He urged the Corporation to take action in the matter. The councillors called for immediate repair of storm-water drains and roads that were damaged during the underground drainage (UGD) project before the onset of monsoon. They stressed that all parts of the Corporation must be provided with proper roads and street lights. The Mayor said the roads in Wards 15, 16, 17, 18, 49 and 50 had been damaged because of UGD work and all these roads would be restored within two months. Similarly, roads in Wards 4, 5, 9, 10 and 11 had been damaged because of a 24x7 water supply project work and these roads also would be relaid within three months. These works were part of the broader proposal to relay 964 new roads across the Corporation, he added. He said five acres of land had been allotted to a private NGO at Tharuvaikulam dump yard to rehabilitate stray dogs. The organisation was yet to begin its operations.
Indian Express
2 days ago
- General
- Indian Express
A mountain of rice, but no more space to keep it: Punjab faces a familiar storage crisis
With the paddy season in full swing in Punjab and Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann asking the Centre to advance the official paddy procurement season by a fortnight this time, concerns are mounting due to a shortage of storage space for grains in the state. Mann requested that the Centre start the paddy procurement season on September 15 instead of October 1. He said this was necessary as Punjab farmers have advanced their paddy sowing to tackle issues of high moisture content and to prevent stubble burning, which contributes to air pollution in Delhi. Punjab is currently experiencing a shortage of storage space. As new stocks of paddy begin to arrive, the government may encounter significant challenges similar to those faced last year, when paddy was not collected due to inadequate storage facilities. The state has a storage facility of 220 lakh metric tonnes (LMT) in covered and open plinths, which is currently completely full. Every year, 250 lakh tonnes of wheat and rice are received. Since existing storage space is full, the fresh stocks that come every year can now be accommodated only if there is adequate movement of the already stored stock. Punjab's paddy arrival is 180 to 190 LMT and only 66 per cent of rice is received after milling, which amounts to around 120 LMT. After procurement, paddy is sent directly to the mills. After that, it is milled, and the rice thus received is stored in covered spaces. Only 7-8 LMT of rice moves out of the state on average every month, as many of the consumer states say they do not have enough requirement for rice. Hence, 20-30 LMT rice does not move out of the state every year. This backlog has led to zero storage space, say sources. The state is expected to start storing around 120 LMT of rice by the end of this paddy season, while it has space available for only 25 to 30 LMT. To make room for the additional 100 LMT, the state needs a regular movement of 10–12 LMT per month to ensure at least 40 LMT of available space by December. The movement is averaging only 6.67 LMT per month for the last 12 months. CM Mann's meeting with Union minister Pralhad Joshi not fruitful CM Mann sought the intervention of Union Food Minister Pralhad Joshi two weeks ago to expedite the movement of rice to prevent a crisis for the state government. He highlighted the persistent shortage of covered space in the state over the past two years. He said that during the last paddy season, the space shortage also led to the extension of the delivery period for milled rice up to September 30, 2024. This caused concern among millers, and they were reluctant to lift and store paddy, even though the issue was later resolved. CM Mann said for the Kharif marketing season 2024-25, out of the 117 LMT rice to be delivered to the Food Corporation of India (FCI), only around 107 LMT had been delivered by June 30, 2025, with 10 LMT still pending. He said only 80 LMT of rice had been moved out of the state in the last 12 months, averaging 6.67 LMT per month. Mann said the FCI had planned to move 14 LMT in June 2025, but only 8.5 LMT was actually lifted. CM Mann stressed the need for the movement of at least 15 LMT of rice in July to complete milling by the end of the month. He told the Union minister that delays may trigger unrest among millers and hinder paddy procurement for KMS 2025–26. Considering the storage crunch, Mann requested continued allocation of rice to bio-ethanol manufacturing units at reasonable prices, liberal lifting under Open Market Sale Scheme (OMSS), rice exports, and other channels. Sources, however, said that the meeting was not fruitful. There has been no marked difference in lifting and it has not been expedited yet. To optimise storage, CM Mann urged the Union minister to adopt a proactive approach to identifying, approving, and hiring covered godowns. Mann said a strategy of converting covered godowns of wheat to rice needs to be implemented. He said this strategy could free up 7 LMT of capacity for rice storage in KMS 2025–26, adding that this model could be adopted nationwide to mitigate space shortages.
Hans India
2 days ago
- Business
- Hans India
Expedite lifting of rice, KV urges Centre
Bhubaneswar: Odisha Deputy Chief Minister Kanak Vardhan Singh Deo on Monday urged Union Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution Minister Pralhad Joshi to expedite the lifting of rice from the State by the Food Corporation of India (FCI). Singh Deo, along with several BJP MPs from Odisha, met the Union minister in New Delhi and discussed the rice procurement target set for Kharif Marketing Season (KMS) 2024-25 and lifting of rice by FCI. Odisha has procured a record quantity of 92,64,235 metric tonnes (MT) of paddy during KMS 2024-25, which is equivalent to 62,62,086 MT of rice, and is the highest ever procurement in the State's history. After the State's consumption, including during both Kharif and Rabi, there will be a surplus of 12 lakh MT of rice, which needs to be lifted by FCI. Additionally, the slow pace of surplus rice lifting by FCI is hampering overall procurement operations.
The Hindu
24-07-2025
- Business
- The Hindu
FCI calls for EOI from rice buyers
Food Corporation of India (FCI) plans to sell raw and boiled rice with 10% broken rice grains to traders, bulk buyers and manufacturers of rice products. It has called for expression of interest from such buyers and they can upload their needs on the FCI website. This is perhaps the first time that FCI is selling rice with such less quantity of brokens. It is usually around 16%. According to sources in the Regional office of the FCI here, the rice is to be sold under Open Market Sale Scheme (Domestic) on long term basis of 6-8 months. The rice will be sold at ₹3,000 per quintal till 31 October. It will also sell broken rice at ₹ 2,250 per quintal, which works out to ₹ 22.50 per kilo. Sources in the paddy and rice business said that the FCI has around 19 million tonnes of rice procured from farmers all over for the public distribution system and wants to off-load the same. 'There are people who will buy this rice for further trading maybe. However, it will not help bring down prices in any way since rice prices are already down due to surplus production. Also, this is ration quality rice. Many people in the State prefer only fine varieties,' he explained.
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Business Standard
24-07-2025
- Business
- Business Standard
No need for wheat open market sale as supplies comfortable: Food Secretary
Food Secretary Sanjeev Chopra on Thursday said there is no need to sell wheat from government stocks under the Open Market Sale Scheme (OMSS) as supplies are adequate and prices are stable. His comments came amid speculation in trade circles that the OMSS might be reintroduced now that the wheat procurement season has ended, to cool down retail prices, which have risen by more than 5 per cent in the past month. The government operates the OMSS to regulate wheat supply and prices by selling surplus stocks from the central pool, managed by the Food Corporation of India (FCI), directly to the market at preset reserve prices. "Adequate stocks are there. We have procured very healthy quantities, so have all the private players. So there is adequate supply in the market. OMSS is meant for stabilising the prices, the prices are already stable. So then there is no need of (wheat OMSS)," Chopra told reporters on the sidelines of an Indian Vegetable Oil Producers' Association (IVPA) Global roundtable. India sold about 3 million tonnes of wheat under OMSS during the 2024-25 fiscal year, compared with about 10.1 million tonnes in 2023-24. Chopra also said that the government will soon implement the draft order that makes it mandatory for all vegetable oil expellers, processors, and producers to register in a centrally mandated portal. He added that existing technologies in oilseeds offer substantial opportunities to boost yields and that newly developed Indian varieties demonstrate genetic potential on par with top-performing countries globally. The country's wheat production is estimated at a record 117.5 million tonnes in the 2024-25 crop year. On the sale of rice through OMSS, Chopra said the government is undertaking a sale of 50 lakh tonnes, reducing broken rice in it from 25 per cent to 10 per cent in four to five states, including Punjab, Chhattisgarh, Andhra Pradesh, and Haryana. The aim is to sell 15 per cent of 100 per cent broken rice to distilleries and others, with the balance, rice with 10 per cent broken, auctioned to private traders. "This sale is for the domestic market. Mills are ready to segregate 15 per cent broken rice. The response has been good so far," he said, exuding confidence in easily achieving the sale target. Broken rice will be auctioned from the mill point to avoid transport, storage, and fortification, he said, adding it will be a "win-win" situation for both. Currently, broken rice is being sold to private players and "maybe in the next phase we will take up the Public Distribution System (PDS)." Selecting a particular area for PDS sale of 10 per cent broken rice is not feasible right now. "When we do it, we will do it in the entire country," he added. A pilot of 40,000 tonnes was undertaken successfully before permitting the sale of 50 lakh tonnes of rice via OMSS. On sugar exports, Chopra said India has already exported 8 lakh tonnes of the sweetener so far in the 2024-25 season (October-September). The government allowed sugar exports starting January 20, 2025, with a total export quota of 10 lakh tonnes for the season. Chopra also said it is too early to decide on the export quota for the next season. Meanwhile, Food Minister Prahlad Joshi, in his address at the same conference, said that edible oil companies should promptly pass on the benefits of reduced import duties to the consumers.
