The Centre hopes that the measure will assure enough home availability and take a look at the costs of rice, wheat and atta.  
| Photograph Credit score: REUTERS

Involved over the rise in foodgrains costs, the Centre on Wednesday determined to moreover promote 50 lakh metric tonnes (LMT) of wheat and 25 LMT of rice in the course of the Perceptible Marketplace Gross sales Scheme (OMSS) from the Meals Company of Bharat shares. The Centre hopes that the measure will assure enough home availability and take a look at the costs of rice, wheat and atta.

Chatting with newshounds, Union Meals Secretary Sanjeev Chopra mentioned the Centre had additionally determined to deliver ailing the retain worth of rice via ₹200 in line with quintal and the efficient worth now will likely be ₹2,900 in line with quintal. The fee for this aid can be borne from the Value Stabilisation Treasure underneath the Segment of Shopper Affairs. The cost of wheat has long gone up via 6.77% in retail marketplace and seven.37% in wholesale marketplace within the terminating one week and in relation to rice, the rise is 10.63% and 11.12% respectively. The Centre claimed that the step will support 140 crore population of the rustic.

Wheat import responsibility

When requested concerning the risk to let go wheat import responsibility, Mr. Chopra mentioned the Centre would snatch a choice in accordance with the necessities. “Prices of two commodities have been in the news for the past couple of months because of the rising trend that we are noticing,” Mr. Chopra mentioned. The brandnew prohibit is over and above 15 LMT of wheat and 5 LMT of rice being offered in the course of the OMSS. About 7-8 lakh tonnes of wheat was once auctioned underneath the OMSS thus far, date rice sale was once slight, he mentioned, including that those measures would no longer handiest toughen the supply available in the market but additionally support settle down the costs and keep an eye on meals inflation. “The ultimate objective is to keep the food inflation under check,” he mentioned.

FCI Chairman and Managing Director Ashok Okay Meena, who was once additionally provide on the press convention in conjunction with Union Shopper Affairs Secretary Rohit Kumar Singh, mentioned seven e-auctions have been carried out thus far. “Initially, wheat offered for sale used to be 4 lakh tonnes and now, it has been reduced to 1 lakh tonne in today’s e-auction. About 8 lakh tonnes of wheat has been sold till date,” he mentioned, including that the weighted moderate promoting worth of wheat on June 28 was once ₹2,136.36 in line with quintal, which had now long gone as much as ₹2,254.71 in line with quintal. “This shows there is an increase in the market demand for wheat,” he added. On buffer shares, he mentioned the FCI had alternative 87 lakh tonnes of wheat and 217 lakh tonnes of rice to be had over and above the buffer norms.

Considering the increase in the cultivation of millets, the Centre may soon announce a benchmark price for minor millets produced in various States. The Centre said it would help States to procure and distribute millets through the public distribution system. At present, millets such as jowar, bajra and ragi are procured by nine States with a minimum support price (MSP) announced by the Centre. Minor millets are not procured at the moment.

Additional Secretary in the Food Ministry Subodh Kumar Singh said procurement of millets with MSP was increasing. “Agriculture and Food Ministries are working together to fix a benchmark price for the minor millets. We want the production of minor millets to increase. If the benchmark price is assured, we hope their production will increase,” Mr. Singh said.

He said the Centre had taken steps to sell millets along with foodgrains through fair price shops. “It will be decided by the States according to the demand and procurement,” Mr. Singh said, adding that the shelf life of millets was less and that was why the Centre was requesting States to directly procure and sell millets through the PDS. “It will help small and marginal farmers who are cultivating millets. It will be beneficial for the people of respective States considering the nutritional quality of millets,” he added.

Financial assistance

The procurement and distribution of millets of the last kharif season is under way. “Several States have come forward to procure and distribute millets. For example, procurement of ragi in Karnataka has been very good. The State has procured 5 Lakh Metric Tonnes (LMT) of ragi and will distribute it along with the foodgrains. The market price is less than MSP in millets like ragi. We are providing financial assistance to States for procurement and distribution of millets and coarse grains,” he said. Haryana, Karnataka, Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, Odisha, Uttar Pradesh, Gujarat, Uttarakhand and Tamil Nadu are buying and distributing millets at the moment. “We have requested Rajasthan to procure bajra and distribute it through the PDS,” he said.

In 2021-22, the nine States had procured 6.5 LMT millets. “In 2022-23, as of now, Karnataka alone has decided to procure 7 LMT of millets. Overall, 7.5 LMT has been procured in the country. Our target is to increase the production of millets in the future,” he added.