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States Asked to Lift PDS Foodgrains Needed For 6 Months
-PTI

Faced with acute shortage of storage capacity, the Centre today asked states to lift PDS foodgrains needed for at least six months and build intermediate godowns to ease pressure on Food Corporation of India godowns.

"We have requested state governments to offtake at least six months of foodgrains needed for PDS. Our storage capacity of FCI is 64 million tonnes and our present stock is about 82-83 million tonnes," Minister of State for Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution K V Thomas told reporters

He was speaking after attending a seminar on 'Food Security - Role of Standards,' organised by the Bureau of Indian Standards.

The states at present lift foodgrains from FCI and send it directly to PDS shops and the Centre has suggested to state governments to have intermediate godowns so that at least six months PDS stock could be stored, he said.

Observing that wheat is stored "with the cap" in open, which was scientific, Thomas said there was 61 lakh tonnes of wheat, which is now in makeshift storage." So this is an issue which we are taking up with states, especially major wheat producing states like Punjab and Haryana."

He said states like Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, West Bengal and Rajasthan were also expected to produce more this year and there was storage problem in these states also.

However, despite shortage of storage, loss and storage damage was very low. "About five years back, it was 2.5 per cent, now it has come down to 0.006 per cent. That is when we handle around 82-83 million tonnes, our damage is less than 1 lakh tonnes."

Thomas said the country expected to have bumper production of wheat and rice this year.

"Wheat production is expected to be 902.30 lakh tonnes, of which there will be 370 lakh tonnes of procurement. And rice production 1,034.1 lakh tons and procurement is 353.15 lakh tonnes. Our latest estimate of central storage foodgrains is 82 million tonnes, which is three times higher than the buffer amounts," he said.

Elaborating on benefits for Tamil Nadu from the Centre, he said under the existing TPDS (Targeted Public Distribution System) allocation, rice is 35.57 lakh tonnes and wheat 1.65 lakh tonnes.

"For Tamil Nadu alone, food subsidy is Rs 6,420.44 crore for this fiscal. But with the proposed additional allocation of five million tonnes for BPL, Tamil Nadu's additional share will be 3.72 lakh tonnes and the additional subsidy Rs 691.27 crore.So the total subsidy will be Rs 6,420.44 crore plus Rs 691.27 crore for Tamil Nadu alone. And the entire subsidy for the country is Rs 88,000 crore," he said.

Thomas said the Centre would examine and take an appropriate decision on Tamil Nadu's request for supply of some special quality rice, specially from Punjab and West Bengal. "We will discuss with officials today and see whether quality rice can be made available from Punjab. The quantity we have to discuss."

To a question on the South West monsoon, which has so far been reported to be erratic, he said, "We are studying that. The next report may be coming by 22nd or 24th (June). Then we will sit with officials of Agriculture Ministry and look into the predictions, because predictions guide us how foodgrains have to be managed. So that depends on met predictions."

To another question on the National Food Security Bill, a pet project of Congress President Sonia Gandhi, he said the government hoped to pass it in the Winter session of Parliament.

The Bill, which seeks to give legal right on cheaper foodgrains to 63.5 per cent of the country's population, was introduced in the Lok Sabha in December last and referred to the Parliamentary Standing Committee.

Meanwhile the Tamil Nadu government today urged the Centre to allocate more funds on the food front and also sought an increase in kerosene allocation.

Food Minister R Kamaraj said Chief Minister Jayalalithaa had written to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, requesting increase in allocation of kerosene which has been downsized for the past few months.

Speaking at a national seminar on Food Safety here, attended by Minister of State for Food and Consumer Protection K V Thomas, he said kerosene allocation had been reduced from 52,806 kilolitres in April 2011 to over 39,000 kilolitres in April this year.

To ensure safe storage of paddy, new godowns are being constructed to the existing capacity of over 12 lakh metric tonnes, he said.

"The Vision 2023 Document released by the Chief Minister envisages making the state Number one. I request the Union Minister (Thomas) to ensure additional funding to set up more modern godowns for the purpose of food security, besides taking steps to increase the kerosene allocation," he said.