Bhubaneswar: Raising concerns over mounting rice stocks and delayed lifting of custom milled rice (CMR) in Odisha, Pradeep Purohit, BJP MP from Bargarh, has urged the Centre’s immediate intervention to prevent disruption of the upcoming paddy procurement season.In a letter addressed to Union food and public distribution minister Pralhad Joshi, the MP said poor coordination between Food Corporation of India (FCI) and rice millers, coupled with excess rice stocks in godowns, has slowed the lifting of CMR and created severe storage constraints across the state. He warned that unless pending stocks are cleared before the next procurement cycle begins on Nov 17, millers may run out of storage space for fresh paddy arrivals, adversely affecting farmers.Highlighting the situation in Bargarh, one of the state’s largest paddy-producing districts, Purohit said that against a rice procurement target of 52.33 lakh quintals under kharif marketing season (KMS) 2025-26, only 24.47 lakh quintals had been lifted by Oct 22. About 26.30 lakh quintals of rice are still awaiting lifting, while the district’s CMR delivery achievement stands at 50.42%, he said.The MP also drew attention to the statewide scenario. According to the figures cited in the letter, Odisha procured 1.35 crore quintals of paddy under KMS 2025-26, generating a CMR obligation of 91.84 lakh quintals. Of this, around 65.51 lakh quintals are still pending with millers.Purohit said the pending stocks have resulted in an acute shortage of godown space and could trigger a major logistics crisis once fresh procurement starts next month. He added that farmers are increasingly worried over delays and that prolonged inaction could lead to protests and economic hardship for cultivators.Seeking urgent action, the MP urged the Centre to direct FCI to expedite lifting of rice stocks from Bargarh and other districts, ensure clearance of pending inventories before Nov 17 and evolve a long-term solution to recurring procurement and storage bottlenecks. “The issue needs to be resolved on a war-footing so that farmers do not face difficulties during the upcoming procurement season,” the letter stated.