Deprecated (16384): The ArrayAccess methods will be removed in 4.0.0.Use getParam(), getData() and getQuery() instead. - /home/brlfuser/public_html/src/Controller/ArtileDetailController.php, line: 150
 You can disable deprecation warnings by setting `Error.errorLevel` to `E_ALL & ~E_USER_DEPRECATED` in your config/app.php. [CORE/src/Core/functions.php, line 311]
Deprecated (16384): The ArrayAccess methods will be removed in 4.0.0.Use getParam(), getData() and getQuery() instead. - /home/brlfuser/public_html/src/Controller/ArtileDetailController.php, line: 151
 You can disable deprecation warnings by setting `Error.errorLevel` to `E_ALL & ~E_USER_DEPRECATED` in your config/app.php. [CORE/src/Core/functions.php, line 311]
Warning (512): Unable to emit headers. Headers sent in file=/home/brlfuser/public_html/vendor/cakephp/cakephp/src/Error/Debugger.php line=853 [CORE/src/Http/ResponseEmitter.php, line 48]
Warning (2): Cannot modify header information - headers already sent by (output started at /home/brlfuser/public_html/vendor/cakephp/cakephp/src/Error/Debugger.php:853) [CORE/src/Http/ResponseEmitter.php, line 148]
Warning (2): Cannot modify header information - headers already sent by (output started at /home/brlfuser/public_html/vendor/cakephp/cakephp/src/Error/Debugger.php:853) [CORE/src/Http/ResponseEmitter.php, line 181]
LATEST NEWS UPDATES | That ’70s show: ‘Levy rice’ to end in October -Sandip Das

That ’70s show: ‘Levy rice’ to end in October -Sandip Das

Share this article Share this article
published Published on Feb 27, 2015   modified Modified on Feb 27, 2015
-The Financial Express

The government has decided to dispense with "levy rice", a mandatory system under which rice millers also undertake rice procurement for the public distribution system by buying paddy directly from the farmers, effective the next marketing season starting October.

The system, introduced way back in 1978, is set to be withdrawn as the government felt that a lack of effective supervision often allowed the millers to avoid paying minimum support price (MSP) to farmers and divert the better-quality grain to the open market, if they actually procured. This defeated the purpose of levy rice, that is, to bridge the capacity deficit with government procurement agencies.

It also reckons that once the mandatory purchase of rice by millers is done away with, state procurement agencies could step up their procurement operations. With a high-level committee observing that only 6% of the country's farmers benefit from the MSP operations, the government is looking at improving the utility of the scheme, while curtailing costly redundancies and focusing on eastern states where the procurement infrastructure is weak.

Among the major rice-producing states, Punjab and Haryana abolished the levy rice system two years ago, but it is still prevalent in Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana and West Bengal. In the 2014-15 marketing season, a sixth of the total rice procurement for PDS in the country was undertaken by millers.

A recent communication from the food ministry to the states said: "With a view to ensure payment of remunerative prices to farmers at MSP or above and to improve outreach of procurement system to the farmgate for their better coverage, it has been decided now that the State Governments should not impose any levy on rice from the millers from October 1st, 2015."

Around 5 million tonnes of rice are procured through levy rice annually from millers out of the total grain purchase of around 31 million tonnes. The system, although in the form of a diktat and secured a guarantee from the millers that the rice procured them will be given to the PDS operators, was initially meant to enable the millers to use their installed capacities optimally. The levy rice procured used to be in the range of 30-75% for different states years ago.

According to official sources, after the abolition of the levy, government agencies such as Food Corporation of India (FCI) and state government-owned agencies would entirely adopt the custom milled rice (CMR) mode where they would purchase paddy from farmers directly by paying MSP and the give the paddy to millers for conversion into rice. "Procurement through CMR route would ensure payment of MSP to farmers and reduces chances of irregularities in procurement through the levy route," a FCI official said.

"It is a step in right direction, finally moving away from controlled system to somewhat free markets. The rice millers will have freedom to sell in the market, which should ultimately help farmers getting a better price," said Ashok Gulati, former chairman, Commission for Agricultural Costs and Prices.


The Financial Express, 26 February, 2015, http://www.financialexpress.com/article/markets/commodities/that-70s-show-levy-rice-to-end-in-october/47537/


Related Articles

 

Write Comments

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

*

Video Archives

Archives

share on Facebook
Twitter
RSS
Feedback
Read Later

Contact Form

Please enter security code
      Close