Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann has urgently requested the Union Food and Civil Supplies Minister to address a critical storage space shortage affecting the Food Corporation of India (FCI). Since May, the FCI has struggled with a lack of space, which has delayed the delivery of rice from the 2023-24 kharif marketing season (KMS). Currently, the state has only 171 lakh metric tonnes (LMT) of total storage capacity, with 121 LMT of rice and 50 LMT of wheat already stored, leaving no room for the new crop expected to yield 185-190 LMT of paddy. Mann emphasized the need for a minimum monthly movement of 20 LMT of food grains to alleviate the situation and called for the mobilization of additional transport rakes. The chief minister noted that despite efforts, only 98.35% of the due rice has been delivered, leading to multiple extensions of the milling period. Without prompt action, both farmers and rice millers may face significant challenges in the upcoming season.