440 Rice Processing Units Likely To Be Affected by Air Quality Management Restrictions

On 2^nd December, an order was issued by the Commission of Air Quality Management in the NCR and adjoining areas under Union Environment Ministry, which said – “Industrial operations and processes in NCR, not running on PNG or cleaner fuels, shall be allowed to operate only up to eight hours a day from Monday to Friday and shall not be allowed to operate on Saturdays and Sundays.”

The government has been asked, by the rice processors and exporters in the National Capital Region (NCR), to reconsider its decision on restricting its operation to eight hours on weekdays while keeping a shut down on weekends. This decision will affect 440 rice processing units in NCR, as a result delaying the export commitments and will also slow down the purchase of crops from farmers.

Air Quality Decline

Effective till next order, the direction has been brought to action due to the air quality in the last few days which deteriorated to the upper end of the ‘Very Poor’ or ‘Severe’ category. A need to take additional preventive measures was felt by the commission, as a matter of extreme emergency to halt the air quality’s further deterioration. Along with the ban on construction activities, several other directions were issued during the last week of November.

Vijay Setia, former President of All India Rice Exporters Association said – “this decision needs to be reviewed and taken back immediately. All industries cannot be equated on a blanket order and there has to be a proper assessment and expert’s consultation. Export commitments of the rice industry will miss the target and even buyers may penalize Indian suppliers. Rice parboiling is a continuous process and one cannot change it or complete it in eight hours as the other states. This will spoil entire food as the three steps of boiling – soaking, steaming, and drying takes around 20 hours for one batch of production.”

“Millers in Haryana are likely to take up the matter with Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar on Saturday. Some 20-25 sugar mills in the NCR region will also get affected as the crushing season is currently on and farmers have been informed about when to harvest and accordingly, cane supply has been scheduled", said Industry sources.