Bathinda: Punjab State Grains Procurement Corporation (Pungrain) has set the ball rolling to restart the process of empanelling manufacturers of fortified rice kernels (FRK) for supply to rice millers, midway through the ongoing kharif marketing season.The move has come as bad news for those involved in the rice trade, as the season is in full swing. FRKs are tiny, rice-shaped grains made from rice flour mixed with essential vitamins and minerals, blended with regular rice to combat malnutrition.After procurement at mandis, paddy is sent to FRK millers for fortifying the grains. It is then set to a custom rice miller (CRMs), who mill it and blend it with FRKs before delivery as custom milled rice. Punjab State Grains Procurement Corporation (Pungrain) on Monday re-issued a request for proposal (RFP) for empanelment of FRK manufacturers for supplies of FRK to rice millers. The bids were invited until Feb 5, 2026. Earlier, 126 FRK manufacturers were empanelled to supply FRK for the kharif marketing season 2025-26 in Sept 2025, and some supplies were made.Sources said that as the manufacturers were not ready to supply FRK at the fixed price of Rs 39.48 per kg, and supply of rice to the national pool was suffering, the department decided to go for new empanelment at new bid prices. The rice millers, on their part, said a confusing situation developed about the supplies at the prices fixed earlier. They said many rice millers placed orders with FRK manufacturers, which were accepted and paid for, and as the department went for new bids, uncertainty prevailed about honouring the accepted orders.Prem Goyal, president of Akhil Bhartiya Sheller Sangh, saud rice millers were confused about the status of supplies. “The department should clarify the status of previous orders, as millers wanted supply of FRK against orders already placed, accepted, and paid for at the earlier approved rate,” he said. As per Section 10 and Section 37 of the Indian Contract Act, 1872, once an offer is accepted and consideration is received, a valid and enforceable contract comes into existence, which is binding upon both parties. Issuance of a fresh tender, by itself, does not extinguish or override pre-existing concluded contracts, unless the earlier orders are expressly cancelled through a written and reasoned order by the competent authority,” he said.Punjab food and civil supplies director Varinder Sharma, when contacted, said that the standard operating procedure (SOP) about supply of FRK will continue until the new L1 bid is accepted and manufacturers are empanelled. The SOP will be reviewed after Feb 5, and until then all FRK manufacturers are bound to supply FRK until the issuance of the ‘letter of award’ under the new RFP. “No disruption in supplies will be allowed, and appropriate action will be taken against FRK manufacturers violating the SOP, and there is no confusion about it among the rice millers,” he said. MSID:: 127863178 413 |
