Bhubaneswar: Odisha Deputy Chief Minister Kanak Vardhan Singh Deo 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, according to an official statement.
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, the statement said.
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, it said.
Keeping this in view, Singh Deo requested Joshi to intervene in the matter and expedite rice-lifting.
Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi has also written a letter to the Union minister in this matter. Joshi has assured to resolve the issue, claimed the statement.
PTI
