Chandigarh, Aug. 26 -- With paddy procurement for the upcoming season scheduled to begin on October 1, the Punjab Rice Industry Association on Tuesday met agriculture minister Gurmeet Singh Khudian, food and civil supplies minister Lal Chand Kataruchak and water resources minister Barinder Kumar Goel at Punjab Bhawan and raised concerns over a severe shortage of storage space and delays in milling of the previous season's paddy. Association president Bharat Bhushan Binta said around 80% of milling had been completed in major districts, including Ludhiana, Mansa and Ferozepur, while Moga had achieved around 74%. In some centres, however, milling was only 60-70% complete. Binta attributed part of the delay to a shortage of fortified rice kernels (FRK), which affected milling and government delivery of rice. He said prolonged storage of paddy in the open was causing damage, discoloration, higher broken-rice percentages and damage to gunny bags, resulting in financial losses for millers. The association urged the state government to approach the Centre for new warehouses and ensure adequate storage to clear pending rice stocks by September 30. Vice-president Ranjit Singh Jossan sought unconditional milling allotments for 2026-27 and changes in guarantee conditions. Kataruchak said the government was aware of the industry's concerns and was pursuing solutions to the storage problem. Haryana agriculture minister Shyam Singh Rana on Tuesday said that the state government favours the farmers' demand, days after the rice millers announced they would boycott custom-milled rice (CMR) operations for the upcoming Kharif season next month. The millers are upset because nearly 6 lakh metric tonnes (MT) of CMR worth Rs.2,800 crore is lying at rice mills, rejected by the Food Corporation of India (FCI). "I've spoken to Union agriculture minister Shivraj Singh Chauhan and requested him to ensure the FCI purchases their stock. Chauhan said that he will speak to the Union minister of food, civil supplies and consumer affairs Prahlad Joshi regarding this," he said....