Rice mills in Mandya district appear to have turned into a safe haven for illegal hoarding of millets.
The Department of Food and Civil Supplies raided about 10 rice mills here since January 3 and unearthed clandestine activities of purchasing millets from farmers at low prices and storing it in rice mills. About 23,000 bags of millets of 50 kg each and estimated to be worth about Rs. 2.41 crore were seized during the raid.
Of them, 10,000 bags of millets were seized from Adilakshmi Rice Mill at Pee Hosahalli in Srirangapatna taluk, 3,000 bags from Sri Siddeshwara Rice Mill at Gorawale, and 2,650 bags from Sri Jayashankara Rice Mill at Kiragandur.
“We have also seized millet bags from Keregodu, Gorawale, Shankarapura, Chikkabyadarahalli, Sollepura, Kapanahalli Gavimath and other places in the district,” Kumuda Sharath, Deputy Director of Food and Civil Supplies Department, told The Hindu.
Ms. Sharath suspected that traders had illegally stocked the millet bags to sell them to government.
The Karnataka Food and Civil Supplies Corporation Ltd. (KFCSC) had recently established 165 paddy and millet procurement centres across the State. Of them, seven were in Mandya district alone.
The objective was to enable distressed farmers to get remunerative price for their produce. The price of millets varies between Rs. 15 a kg and Rs. 17 a kg in direct market and the KFCSC is offering Rs. 21 a kg.
A majority of uneducated and small farmers are unaware of the MSP scheme. “Illegal hoarders might have purchased millets from such farmers to sell it for MSP,” Ms. Sharath said.
The secret and systematic storage of millets has exposed a well-organised and well-planned network of traders. According to a revenue official, owing to the easy road connectivity and lack of proper monitoring, traders from neighbouring districts are preferring rice mills here for illegal storing of millets.
Meanwhile, no complaints have been filed against the rice mill owners concerned.
“We have sought reports from tahsildars concerned. Once the reports reach us, we will register first-information reports (FIR) against the mill owners,” Ms. Sharath said.
The department is also contemplating of recommending the authorities concerned to cancel the licences of the rice mills.
