Custom Milled Rice delivery deadline extended to September 30 after protests by millers over pending rice acceptance by FCI.

Parveen Arora / Tribune News Service

In a major relief to Haryana’s rice millers, the Union government has raised the state’s paddy acceptance target for the 2025-26 kharif marketing season from 55 lakh metric tonnes (LMT) to 59.62 LMT and extended the deadline for delivery of Custom Milled Rice (CMR) against the enhanced quantity till September 30, 2026.

The approval was conveyed by the Ministry of Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution in an order issued on Thursday. The decision followed an assessment of procurement trends over the past two seasons, allocation of rice under the Improved Rice Scheme, physical verification of unmilled paddy stocks and other related factors.

According to rice millers, the Centre had earlier fixed the paddy acceptance target for the Food Corporation of India (FCI) at 55 LMT, even though government agencies had procured around 62 LMT and allotted the paddy to nearly 1,400 rice millers across Haryana.

The CMR delivery deadline was initially June 30, 2026, and was subsequently extended to September 30. However, millers alleged that FCI officials had been instructed not to accept further CMR deliveries, triggering protests across the state.

The millers met Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini, Union Minister Manohar Lal Khattar, Haryana Food and Civil Supplies Minister Rajesh Nagar and senior departmental officials in recent days. They also staged a dharna outside the office of the Food and Civil Supplies Department in Chandigarh.

The Centre has attached certain conditions to the enhanced acceptance target. The Haryana Government has been asked to strengthen checks and safeguards against irregular procurement, rationalise the methodology for yield fixation using objective and verifiable parameters, and implement AgriStack in procurement operations from the next Rabi Marketing Season (RMS).

The measures are aimed at strengthening the verification of farmer and land records and improving the integrity of the procurement process, the order said. A copy of the order is with The Tribune.

Amarjit Chhabra, state president of the Haryana Pradesh Rice Millers and Dealers Association, welcomed the decision and said it followed nearly two months of sustained efforts by the association, the state government and the department.

“After the day-and-night efforts of the association, the government and the department, the Centre has finally granted permission for the CMR extension. This important work, which had been held up due to policy-related issues, has now been resolved,” he said.

Jewel Singla, state president of the Haryana Rice Millers and Dealers Association, however, urged the government to raise the paddy acceptance target further to around 62 LMT so that rice corresponding to the entire quantity of procured paddy could be delivered to the FCI.

Both associations thanked Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini, Union Minister of Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution Pralhad Joshi, Union Minister Manohar Lal Khattar, Union Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan, Haryana Agriculture Minister Shyam Singh Rana, Food, Civil Supplies and Consumer Affairs Minister Rajesh Nagar and senior departmental officials for their efforts in securing the approval.

Published Date: September 11, 2026