The rice mill industry in Telangana is slowly on recovery path following distribution of paddy to all mills by the Government for custom milling. The industry was in the doldrums till recently for lack crop, financial losses, increase in power bills and heavy competition.
Unusual amount of paddy yield following the good rainfall has infused life into all small and medium sized units. Barring 50 mills which are chronically sick over a period of six years, out of 330 in the undivided district, all are now functional.
“Government has extended a lifeline to small mills by distributing paddy at the rate of 1,000 tonnes after kharif for custom milling. Earlier, millers were in dire straits with increasing costs,” says, Kaparthy Shravankumar, a leading rice miller.
Severe drought for two consecutive years hit the industry hard. It also had a negative impact on the job market. Influx of over 30,000 workers from Uttar Pradesh and Bihar came to a halt following the closure of mills as only 10 of them used to run.
This season about 5 lakh tones of paddy is expected to be harvested. Parboiled mills will have full work as they are generally run during the summer season. After last rainy season all mills worked as usual. Workers’ migration from the two northern States also began, says Mr. Shravan, putting up a beaming face hoping for better future of the industry.
“Current situation is good, but we are facing the problem of hamalis (labour) in the mills. Hamalis are going to villages to work at weighing points as they are getting more wages there. By the time they come back season will end,” says K. Ramesh, another miller.
Besides, millers are of the opinion that paddy harvested this season lacks the quality as the grain did not form fully. Severe winter during the seedling time and late transplantation could be some of the reasons for the low quality, opines V. Janardhan Reddy, a miller-cum-progressive farmer.
