Union Ministry of Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution has stated that paddy procurement is already robust in Chhattisgarh and Odisha.
The Food Corporation of India (FCI) has initiated special efforts for procurement in the Eastern States of India, where there were frequent complaints of distress sale of paddy and procurement system was ineffective, it stated.
Accordingly, State-wise five-year Action Plan has been drawn by FCI for Uttar Pradesh (with focus on Eastern UP), Bihar, Jharkhand, West Bengal and Assam, where concerns exist about distress sale of paddy, it stated.
Attempt is to increase procurement of rice in these States so as to reach out to all farmers in various paddy growing districts of these States. The procurement target from the eastern States by the end of Kharif Marketing Season (KMS) 2019-20 is 155.93 lakh MT. Presently, the figure stands at 53.65 lMT for KMS 2014-15.
Accordingly, FCI opened 635 procurement centres (including 401 with private support) in KMS 2015-16 and 722 (including 459 with private support) in KMS 2016-17 (as on 28.03.2017) comparison to only 141 in previous Season. Total 61841 and 20063 (as on 28.03.2017) procurement centres have been opened in KMS 2015-16 and KMS 2016-17 respectively.
Due to these efforts of FCI, State agencies and private players, the procurement of rice has been increased to 70.70 lMT in KMS 2015-16 and 63.99 lMT in the ongoing KMS 2016-17.
In fact, considered the 'rice bowl of India', Chhattisgarh found no mention in the estimate for paddy procurement in terms of rice during winter/summer crop of Kharif Marketing Season (KMS) 2016-17 in the list of Union Ministry of Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution released on February 15 this year.
The list comprises paddy procurement in 8 states mainly-- Andhra Pradesh ,13 lakh metric tonnes (MT), Telangana (15 lakh MT), Odisha (7 lakh MT), Tamil Nadu (5 lakh MT), Kerala (one lakh MT), West Bengal ( 8 lakh MT), Assam (0.25 lakh MT) and Maharashtra (0.75 lakh MT).
In consultation with the States, it was decided to procure 330.00 lakh MT of wheat during Rabi Marketing Season 2017-18, which is considerably more in comparison with the last season's actual procurement of 229.61 lakh MT.
It may be recalled that the Chhattisgarh State Cooperative Marketing Federation (MARKFED) had released Rs 1,301 crore to district cooperative central banks for taking up paddy procurement exercise, the State Government had informed on November 30 last year in a press release.
“The money would be transferred online in the bank accounts of farmers selling their paddy on support price,” President of MARKFED Radhakrishna Gupta had stated.
The State government decided to purchase 65 lakh metric tonnes of paddy during the Kharif Marketing Season for year 2016-17.
The procurement season that had started on November 15, 2016 and ended on January 31, 2017.
Notably, Chhattisgarh stood second in the country in Kharif season 2015-16 among a list of 18 states with targetted procurement of 36 lakh metric tonnes of paddy crop during 2015-16 as per information made available by the Central Government in that year.
Punjab was ranked first in the country in 2015-16 Kharif season among 18 states in the country with paddy procurement target of 82 lakh metric tonnes , according to the data of 18 states released by the Centre.
In a meeting of State Food Secretaries held in New Delhi in 2015-16, the
procurement target for Kharif Marketing Season (KMS) 2015-16 was finalised at a total of 300 lakh metric tonnes in the rice growing states.
States were asked to identify immediately areas with maximum paddy production and to open adequate purchase centers and deploy sufficient manpower. They have also been advised to make arrangements for publicizing MSP fixed, procurement centers opened through print and audio-visual media as well as through pamphlets in local languages, officials had stated.
The Governments have also been asked to prepare details of storage plan for the ensuing Kharif Marketing Season and have an action plan to meet the deficit in storage requirements, if required, they had stated.
Regarding Packaging material, Food Secretaries were requested to place indents for purchase of jute bags in time to avoid last minute shortage of packaging material.
The States were also requested to furnish, on daily basis, the revenue district-wise procurement details of previous day for Online Procurement Monitoring System (OPMS).
The FCI was directed to constitute joint teams with the State Governments to oversee the conduct of procurement.