Thiruvananthapuram: Civil supplies minister Anoop Jacob said Supplyco had been granted conditional permission to enter into agreements with rice mills. These mills had secured contracts in the previous season but failed to complete paddy milling within the stipulated time frame. The decision will enable Supplyco to begin paddy procurement for the 2026 kharif season on schedule and finalise contracts with eligible mills.In a statement, Jacob said that “since the deadline for completing milling for the 2025–26 kharif season expired on July 31, the Centre has been requested to extend it until Oct 31. For the 2025–26 rabi season, the central govt has already allowed time until Jan 31, 2027, to complete milling. Supplyco must strictly comply with all central directives in this matter, including the prescribed out-turn ratio and every other condition set by the Centre,” he said.The special permission was granted after assessing that waiting for the previous season’s milling to be fully completed would delay the start of paddy procurement, he added.Before any fresh agreement is signed, Supplyco officials would inspect and assess the paddy stock available in each mill that handled procurement in the previous season.Mill owners must submit an affidavit to Supplyco stating that the leftover paddy and related liabilities from the previous season have been properly accounted for, that milling will be completed within the prescribed period and that the rice will be delivered to Supplyco. Mills will be included in contracts only after stock verification and consideration of the affidavit.The minister also said that the managing director of Supplyco has been directed to submit a consolidated statement to govt containing details of the mills covered under the special order, the paddy stock available in each mill, the quantity still pending for milling in each crop season and the status of related milling and liabilities.The paddy procurement cycle is divided into two crop seasons. The first crop season (kharif) involves procurement from Sept 2025 to March 31, 2026, and milling must be completed by July 31, 2026. Procurement for the second phase takes place from April 1, 2026, to July 31, 2026. The second crop season (rabi) must be fully milled by Jan 31, 2027. If milling for any crop is not completed within the permitted time, approval for extending the milling period must be obtained from the department of food and public distribution.
