New Delhi, Dec 3 (IANS): Amid the ongoing protest by the farmers against the Central farm laws, Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel has written a letter to Union Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution Minister Piyush Goyal, seeking permission for the Food Corporation of India (FCI) to procure 26 lakh metric tonnes of parboiled (usna) rice and 14 lakh metric tonnes of raw (arwa) rice under the Central pool in the Kharif year 2020-21.

In his letter, the Chief Minister said that 400 usna rice mills in the state have milling capacity of 5.68 lakh metric tonnes per month while 1,504 arwa rice mills in the state have milling capacity of 18.83 lakh metric tonnes per month.

Informing Goyal that the FCI in Kharif year 2016-17 and earlier had procured parboiled rice as well as raw rice, Baghel said that the FCI should procure the surplus paddy (parboiled and raw) from the state so that paddy procured under the DCP scheme can be processed timely without any damage to the crop.

"The Centre has approved the action plan to take 60 lakh metric tonnes of rice after custom milling of paddy to be procured at the support price in the Kharif marketing year 2020-21 in the state of Chhattisgarh," the CM said.

Out of this, it is expected that 40 lakh metric tonnes surplus rice will be procured by the FCI under the Central pool and the remaining 20 lakh metric tonnes will be procured by the Chhattisgarh State Civil Supplies Corporation for its requirement under the PDS scheme.