After derailing paddy procurement for nearly two weeks, rice millers called off their strike on Friday “in view of law and order situation and harassment of farmers”. The talks held between millers and officials of the food and civil supplies department on Friday succeeded after the department hinted at possible action while giving assurance of meeting the demands of the millers in the best possible way.

Punjab Rice Millers’ Association president Tarsem Saini said they decided to call off the strike on the assurance of Punjab Food and Civil Supply Minister Adesh Pratap Singh Kairon that the issue had been taken up with the Centre and the relaxations being sought by them would be soon allowed. “Though we had earlier decided not to call off the strike till our demands are met, we did so now in view of the law and order situation and harassment of farmers and government agencies,” said Saini.

The Union agriculture ministry, which agreed to relax damage specifications for this year’s paddy to four per cent after Kairon paid two visits to New Delhi in as many weeks, is yet to agree to the millers’ demand for similar relaxation in discolouration norms.

Even the demand that has led to the present crisis — higher relaxation of five per cent for the nearly 7.5 lakh metric tonnes (MT) of last year’s rice stocks lying with millers — is yet to get the ministry’s nod.

Assuring of doing everything possible to get the Centre’s approval, Principal Secretary (Food and Civil Supplies) S P Singh and Director (Food and Civil Supplies) D S Grewal, who held the talks with the millers, agreed to do what was within the state’s power. The department has consented to laboratory checking of the rice stocks rejected by the Food Corporation of India and reviewing the taxes on rice bran and husk.

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