Odishatv Bureau
Bhubaneswar: Chief Minister Naveen Patanik today appealed Prime Minister Manmohan Singh for the evacuation of surplus rice from the state to outside consuming states by Food Corporation of India (FCI).

Naveen in a letter to the Prime Minister said that, the state with a carrying balance of 1.5 lakh MT of rice from Kharif Marketing Season (KMS) 2010-11, procured 21.61 lakh MT of rice in the current KMS till April 30 this year.

Also the state has started procuring paddy under Rabi season from 2nd week of May and is likely to collect 6 lakh MT of rice in Rabi season. But due to lack of space with either FCI or Odisha State Civil Supplies Corporation (OSCSC) as godowns of both are filled either with paddy or rice, the state will not be able to receive the paddy from the farmers, Naveen said.

As the monsoon is likely to hit the state in the 2nd week of June this year, the Rabi procurement has to be completed by 15th of June, the letter read.

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