Odisha's rice stock piles up amid drastic fall in demand

IN what could pose a major problem for Odisha government which is struggling with a huge surplus rice stock, the Ministry of Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution has informed that lifting of parboiled rice by Food Corporation of India (FCI) has been severely impacted due to low demand in consuming states.

- BIJOY PRADHAN @ Bhubaneswar

Clarifying the constraints faced by FCI in the monthly rice movement from Odisha as per the action plan, the ministry said three major consuming states of parboiled rice—Bihar, West Bengal and Jharkhand—have now become rice surplus and meeting their internal demand from their own procurement under the decentralised procurement system (DCP). Movement of rice from Odisha largely depends on the requirement of the three states.