Proposal for changing grain procurement specifications formulated after due consultations: Centre

Vibha Sharma

Advertisement

Tribune News Service

New Delhi, April 15

The Centre on Thursday said the proposal for change in specifications of grain procurement, including wheat, was formulated after due consultations with scientific and technical institutions and stakeholders keeping in mind the best interests of farmers as well as consumers.

Responding to a media query on proposal to “tighten” grain specifications, Food Secretary Sudhanshu Pandey said the procurement during the ongoing marketing season is being done according to already-notified specifications.

“The norms were framed in 1995 and are revisited periodically. The production processes, agriculture collection, mechanisation of farm sector have all improved during these years. Climate change has also happened…you would have noticed that the temperatures are rising.

“After months of deliberations with the scientific and technical institutions and stake holders, the standards were revisited while balancing the interest of both the sides. The farmers’ interest is protected, and the consumer interest is also protected. Those who get the grains under the PDS and do not have much say, their interest is also protected,” he said.

Regarding the changes, he specified that “nothing is done on the ground without a notification”. “What is happening today is on the basis of notifications already specified. What will happen in future will be on the basis of notifications issued then,” he added.

FCI sources said procurement for the ongoing season is being done according to existing norms. “The recommendations are in proposal stage,” they said. Notably the proposal includes reduced limit of moisture content in wheat from present 14 per cent to 12 per cent.

Meanwhile, Pandey said with Punjab and Haryana on board, the entire country is now covered under the Direct Benefit Transfer of MSP for grain procurement under the theme of “One Nation, One MSP, One DBT”.

Dismissing observations of procurement “going slow”, including in Punjab, Pandey said procurement and transferring of the MSP amount is also going smoothly in Punjab. “We are now transferring in Punjab the MSP amount directly to farmers accounts which has been possible with the cooperation of the state government and ‘arhtiyas’, who are a very important stakeholder. They will get their respective commission due under the APMC Act and rules into their accounts. The farmers will get MSP of their amounts directly in their accounts.

“There is no stakeholder interest clash or encroachment in Punjab. ‘Arhtiyas’ are receiving their commission separately through the e-mode of payment. Earlier, the MSP was going to farmers via ‘arhtiya’ and now it is being directly transferred to farmers online,” he said, in response to reports about ‘arthiyas’ demanding “signed blank cheques from farmers to facilitate procurement”.

“We hope to touch 427 LMT this season, the highest ever in the country. This type of procurement has never happened in the country. Procurement operations in Punjab started from April 10. From Baisakhi the activity will heighten,” he said.  So far the highest procurement has been reported from Haryana, he said, thanking the government and the ‘arhtiyas’ of the state.

Meanwhile, to ramp up storage infrastructure in India and increase storage capacity by 100 LMT, the government is launching a storage modernisation plan. “By 2024-25, we will store our stocks in modern silos and phase out conventional godowns,” Pandey said.