The rice milling industry in Punjab has made a strong appeal to the central government for the immediate reintroduction of Artificial Intelligence-based Automatic Grain Analysers (AGAs) at Food Corporation of India procurement centres. The industry body argues that this technology is crucial to eliminate human bias and errors that have crept back into the quality checking process.
Delegation Meets Union Minister, Flags Key Issues
A delegation from the Punjab Rice Industry Association (PRIA) presented these demands during a meeting with Union Minister for Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution, Pralhad Joshi, in New Delhi on Wednesday. Led by PRIA president Bharat Bhushan Binta, the group highlighted three critical challenges: the discontinuation of AI-based quality checks, complications with the Fortified Rice Kernel (FRK) policy, and an acute storage shortage in the state.
The millers informed the minister that the AI-based AGAs, which were deployed last year at major rice acceptance centres, have been non-functional for the past year. This has led to a return to manual checking methods. Ranjit Singh Jossan, a member of the delegation, pointed out that while the AI technology can analyse a sample of wheat, paddy, or rice in under a minute, the machines are now lying idle.
Human Error and Storage Woes Plague Procurement
The industry representatives stated that the shift back to manual verification has reintroduced human error and allowed for "arbitrary practices" by some FCI staff, causing widespread dissatisfaction. They emphasized that AI-based systems ensure a faster, more transparent, and unbiased procurement process.
Compounding the problem is a severe storage crisis. The delegation informed Minister Joshi that Punjab has to deliver 105 lakh metric tonnes (LMT) of rice this year. However, most state warehouses are already packed with existing rice and wheat stocks. The association warned that if the movement of existing stocks out of Punjab is not expedited, it could take nearly a year to complete the new rice delivery. This delay risks significant deterioration in grain quality and heavy financial losses for millers.
Call for Pause on Fortified Rice Delivery
On the issue of Fortified Rice Kernels (FRK), the millers urged the government to suspend the delivery mandate for the current fiscal year. They argued that the Centre already holds a bumper stock of fortified rice in warehouses across the country. Bharat Bhushan Binta contended that a one-year pause would greatly reduce the operational and financial pressure on the milling industry caused by FRK-related complications.
The PRIA stated that the continued insistence on FRK production, despite ample existing stocks, is disrupting standard milling operations and adding to the stress on Punjab's rice millers. The delegation's appeal underscores a critical juncture for India's rice procurement system in a key agricultural state, balancing technological adoption, policy implementation, and logistical capacity.
