Odisha:Rice millers demand hike in milling fees.

The All Odisha Rice Millers Association (AORMA) has demanded the state government to increase the custom milling fee for rice along with transportation and storage charges of paddy at mills.

The association members complained that the custom milling fee, which is Rs 20 per quintal of paddy, has not been revised for the last two decades.

Association president Mahesh Bansal said charges for transportation of paddy from mandis to mills and rice from mills to government-owned or rented warehouses along with paddy procured by the government and stored at mills’ warehouses are very low as compared to the prevailing market cost.

“While rice millers are getting Rs 7 per quintal for three months for storing paddy, the government is spending roughly Rs 7 per quintal per month for storing its custom-milled rice at its rented warehouses,” he pointed out.

Secretary Laxminarayan Deepak Kumar Das said though the cost of transportation and other charges have increased manifold over the period, the government is yet to enhance the fees. All the rice millers are going through a bad phase and it will not be financially possible to continue operation at present fees and charges set by the government,” he said.

This article has been republished from The New Indian Express.