KARACHI — Paddy farmers in lower Sindh are raising alarm over excessive deductions by rice millers during the processing of their crop, citing a lack of regulatory safeguards and unfair practices in moisture assessment.
Despite cultivation on 2.1 million acres, exceeding targets for the season, many growers claim they are shortchanged when millers unilaterally deduct weight based on alleged moisture levels. In some cases, farmers report offering paddy for Rs 2,200 per 40 kg, while acceptable offers should be near Rs 2,900–3,600.
Millers argue that variation in moisture content necessitates deductions, yet critics accuse them of using faulty or absent moisture meters and applying inconsistent standards across different mills. Farmers say their own measurements—sometimes with personal meters—are dismissed by millers, leading to heavy losses.
In regions such as Tando Mohammad Khan and Thatta, farmers and advocacy groups have urged the Sindh government’s agriculture department to intervene and set uniform moisture standards. Currently, growers feel vulnerable to exploitation as there is no transparent mechanism to audit mill-level deductions or confirm fair pricing.
This story has been reported by PakTribune. All rights reserved.