Rice Millers in Punjab Concerned Over Falling Paddy Recovery Rate

04-Dec-2025 04:23 PM

Chandigarh. Rice millers in Punjab, the state that contributes the largest amount of food grains to the central pool, are currently worried and distressed because this year the average rice recovery rate from paddy is low and the breakage is high.

Although the government has increased the limit for damaged and discolored grains by 10 percent due to damage to the paddy crop caused by natural disasters, the average rice recovery rate from paddy has remained at the previous level of 60-61 percent.

The current Kharif marketing season is challenging for Punjab's rice millers. The previously approved limit was 5 percent, but has now been fixed at 10 percent.

This has provided relief to farmers but has increased the problems for millers. Government procurement of paddy has ended in Punjab.

Rice millers are being allocated government quotas of paddy for custom milling, but they are not producing the rice they have been promised. The government wants 67 percent whole rice from millers.

Rice millers say that the government should determine the rice recovery rate this time with a commercial perspective.

The president of the Rice Millers Association of Punjab says that rice millers are accepting the allotted quota of paddy peacefully because this time the government has procured only 156 lakh tonnes of paddy in the state,

which is much less than the target of 180 lakh tonnes. Millers are not saying anything openly, but the reality is that this time the rice recovery rate is low and the brokenness is being seen more.