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LATEST NEWS UPDATES | Relax conditions for paddy procurement: Badal urges PM

Relax conditions for paddy procurement: Badal urges PM

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published Published on Oct 25, 2010   modified Modified on Oct 25, 2010

Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal has sought direct and immediate intervention of Prime Minister Manmohan Singh to offer relaxations in the specifications of paddy for its procurement by the Food Corporation of India and state agencies.

The CM said a failure to take immediate corrective and remedial action could lead to serious law and order problem in the days to come. Badal has also written to Union Agriculture Minister Sharad Pawar, saying the Centre must keep in mind that the quality of paddy was affected for reasons beyond the farmers’ control.

In a statement issued here on Sunday, Badal said: “We need to come to the aid of the beleaguered farmer who sweats and toils for the nation. The farmer has stood by the country in its hour of food crisis. Now, it is the turn of the government to stand by him in his hour of difficulty.”

In separate letters to the PM and Union Minister for Agriculture Sharad Pawar, the chief minister said the moisture specification should be increased from 17 per cent to 20 per cent and discolouration up to 10 per cent, also urging them to decrease the rice out-turn ratio to 60 per cent from 67 per cent.

In view of the norms on discolouration and moisture content, the FCI and other government agencies were finding it difficult to procure the paddy. In addition, there were rains in many parts of the state, coupled with hailstorm, on October 22, which affected all varieties of paddy in terms of moisture content and appearance. In these circumstances, relaxation in moisture content and rice out-turn ratio was required to be made forthwith.

Badal pointed out that the PUSA-44 variety of paddy, as approved by the Union government, was sown on an area of about 7 lakh hectares, the production of which is likely to be in the region of 50 lakh metric tonnes. This variety of paddy takes about 125 to 130 days to mature as against other varieties that take about 105 to 110 days. “Unfortunately, the state received rains at a time when the grain was at premature stage. The cloudy weather resulted in further damage to the paddy, which turned black. Due to low temperature and high humidity at the maturity stage, the moisture content in the paddy is much more than the specification of 17 per cent,” said the CM.

With PUSA-44 paddy already arriving in the mandis, the CM said, an immediate decision on top priority was required to avoid a glut and consequent harassment of farmers.

A few farmer unions have already given a call for vehicular and railway traffic blockades on October 29, 2010.


The Indian Express, 25 October, 2010, http://www.indianexpress.com/news/Relax-conditions-for-paddy-procurement--Badal-urges-PM/701825/


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