Odisha rice millers welcome increase in milling charges; Maheswar Sahu thanks CM and food supplies minister

By Swagatika Mohapatra

Bhubaneswar, June 6: The Odisha government’s decision to increase milling charges for rice millers, fulfilling a long-pending demand of the milling industry, has been widely welcomed across the state. Senior BJP leader and former state president of the All Odisha Rice Millers’ Association (AORMA), Maheswar Sahu, has expressed gratitude to Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi and food supplies and consumer welfare minister Krushna Chandra Patra for taking the farmer- and miller-friendly decision.

In a press statement, Sahu said rice millers in Odisha had been facing severe financial difficulties for several years due to the absence of any revision in milling charges. While expenses such as electricity tariffs, labour wages and transportation costs have increased substantially over the years, milling charges had remained unchanged, creating significant challenges in the Custom Milled Rice (CMR) procurement process.

The state government has now increased the milling charge for raw rice from Rs 10 to Rs 20 per quintal and for parboiled rice from Rs 20 to Rs 40 per quintal. According to Sahu, the decision has provided much-needed relief to the rice milling industry.

He said the visionary step taken by the Chief Minister and the Food Supplies Minister would help make the paddy procurement process more transparent, efficient and streamlined in the coming days. The enhanced milling charges are also expected to facilitate the timely lifting of paddy from farmers and ensure smoother implementation of procurement operations across the state.

Expressing optimism over the impact of the decision, Sahu said it would strengthen the rice milling sector while benefiting both farmers and the government’s procurement system.

Besides Mahesh Sahu, AORMA general secretary Deepak Das and president Mahesh Kumar Basnal have also welcomed the move.