Govt fails to shore up rice stock due to low offer price
Experts fear the slow pace in collection may lead to lower than the targeted purchase of 256 lakh tonne fixed for this season.
By PTI |
NEW DELHI: Probably due to low MSP, paddy procurement in the current kharif season has not picked up pace and it is less by more than three lakh tonne compared to collection in the corresponding period last year, according to official figures released here. Experts fear the slow pace in collection may lead to lower than the targeted purchase of 256 lakh tonne fixed for this season.
Paddy procurement by Food Corporation of India (FCI), the Centre’s nodal foodgrain distribution and supply agency, is slightly more than 100 lakh tonne as on October 26. During the same period last year, it was 103.8 lakh tonne.
The low pace of procurement is likely to strengthen in the coming days the voices for raising MSP for paddy. Recently, opposition leader LK Advani had written to the prime minister, asking him to raise the same. The arrival of the grain in the mandis is also down by 1 lakh tonne. This year, FCI has been able to purchase less than 80% of the arrival compared to over 82% in 2006.
However, at some quarters, it is believed that the low collection only goes to vindicate the government’s decision to ban exports of normal variety of non-Basmati rice. The purchases of over 100 lakh tonne by FCI and other agencies under the central pool were out of around 125 lakh tonne of paddy arrived at different mandis in the country. The arrival was 126 lakh tonne in the year-ago period.
A major share in procurement, which began on September 26, is contributed by Punjab at 80.21 lakh tonne, a government official said. The collection is yet to start in West Bengal, Orissa, Bihar and Chhattisgarh. In Rajasthan, Uttarakhand and Delhi, FCI has not been able to procure the grain or the purchase is very low. Out of 41,000 tonne of paddy arrived in Rajasthan mandis till Friday in the current Kharif season, FCI has not been able to purchase any quantity. But in Kerala, the agency is able to buy all the 29,000 tonnes paddy arrived in the state mandis.
FCI has procured 80.21 lakh tonne out of the arrival of 98.68 lakh tonne in Punjab while 14.80 lakh tonne have been purchased from Haryana where supply was 20.93 lakh tonne.
The central agency is able to get 1,200 tonne out of 45,000 tonne arrived in Andhra Pradesh. In Uttar Pradesh, where procurement was expected to pick up after Dussehra, the arrival of paddy stood at 4,795 tonne out of which FCI received 1,079 tonne.
Paddy procurement by Food Corporation of India (FCI), the Centre’s nodal foodgrain distribution and supply agency, is slightly more than 100 lakh tonne as on October 26. During the same period last year, it was 103.8 lakh tonne.
The low pace of procurement is likely to strengthen in the coming days the voices for raising MSP for paddy. Recently, opposition leader LK Advani had written to the prime minister, asking him to raise the same. The arrival of the grain in the mandis is also down by 1 lakh tonne. This year, FCI has been able to purchase less than 80% of the arrival compared to over 82% in 2006.
However, at some quarters, it is believed that the low collection only goes to vindicate the government’s decision to ban exports of normal variety of non-Basmati rice. The purchases of over 100 lakh tonne by FCI and other agencies under the central pool were out of around 125 lakh tonne of paddy arrived at different mandis in the country. The arrival was 126 lakh tonne in the year-ago period.
A major share in procurement, which began on September 26, is contributed by Punjab at 80.21 lakh tonne, a government official said. The collection is yet to start in West Bengal, Orissa, Bihar and Chhattisgarh. In Rajasthan, Uttarakhand and Delhi, FCI has not been able to procure the grain or the purchase is very low. Out of 41,000 tonne of paddy arrived in Rajasthan mandis till Friday in the current Kharif season, FCI has not been able to purchase any quantity. But in Kerala, the agency is able to buy all the 29,000 tonnes paddy arrived in the state mandis.
FCI has procured 80.21 lakh tonne out of the arrival of 98.68 lakh tonne in Punjab while 14.80 lakh tonne have been purchased from Haryana where supply was 20.93 lakh tonne.
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The central agency is able to get 1,200 tonne out of 45,000 tonne arrived in Andhra Pradesh. In Uttar Pradesh, where procurement was expected to pick up after Dussehra, the arrival of paddy stood at 4,795 tonne out of which FCI received 1,079 tonne.
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