Chandigarh: The Centre’s decision to relax the quality norms for wheat procurement seems to have brought some relief to the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government.
As of May 15, the date of the Central Government announcement On the easing of quality norms, procurement agencies under the AAP government in Punjab had recorded a collective stock of around 6 lakh metric tonnes (LMT) of wheat, belonging to batches rejected by the FCI, from the permissible limit of 6. There were more shriveled and broken grains. percent, ThePrint has learned.
On May 15, the permissible limit was increased to 18 per cent. The Center also allowed FCI to continue its wheat procurement till May 31.
A senior official of Punjab’s food and civil supplies department told ThePrint that the state government is confused about what to do with the rejected stock in its godowns.
“The state government had procured wheat from farmers Mandis, What will happen to wheat if FCI rejects it? said the officer. The decision of the Central Government to increase the permissible limit of affected grains to 18 percent in a sample for FCI procurement has come as a major relief to the State Government.
Punjab is the largest contributor of wheat to the national pool. According to central government data, out of the total 179 LMT of wheat procured through government agencies (both state agencies and FCI of the Centre) this year, Punjab contributed 96 LMT, which is about 54 per cent of the total.
State this year Market102 LMT of wheat arrived against the estimated 135 LMT. This reduction in wheat production is due to extreme heat conditions in the region, which has caused the grain to shrink. The stock left after the government purchase was bought by private players, government data shows.
Punjab’s FCI general manager Hemant Kumar Jain told ThePrint that the agency plans to procure all the wheat that meets the quality norms from godowns in Punjab, which the state requires for its own consumption.
“Out of the total procurement of 96 LMT by the Government, about 6 LMT was directly procured by FCI MandisFCI has acquired 16 LMT from state agencies and 9.5 LMT will be retained by the state for its own consumption. “For getting the rest of the wheat from the state agencies, an evaluation committee of FCI is working. FCI will procure the remaining wheat from state government agencies, provided they clarify the procurement criteria [with less than 18 per cent shrivelled or broken grains],
A senior AAP functionary told ThePrint that the issue is particularly sensitive given the party’s national ambitions.
“The party (AAP) was particularly worried as it is now expanding its footprint across the country, challenging the BJP in several states,” the AAP functionary said. “The BJP-led central government could have created trouble on the issue of wheat procurement.”
How did this happen
A senior Punjab government official said the state government has written at least four letters to the central government in a span of four weeks – one by Mann and the other by state Food and Civil Supplies Minister Lal Chand Kataruchak.
The official said the state government’s letters remained unanswered till the May 15 announcement.
“Hopefully all the wheat produced this year will now get approval from FCI. No batch is likely to have more than 18 per cent damaged grains,” the government official said.
Generally, states are allowed to mix healthy grains from several rejected consignments to make fresh batches to offer to FCI, he added.
For example, if 20 percent of damaged grain is found in one consignment, state procurement agencies separate the healthy grain from the broken grain, and with the healthy grain from the second batch to make a new batch of grain. merge the east.
However, this process is time consuming.
“The annual wheat procurement season has opening and closing dates notified by the central government. So, there is a time limit. Often, such filtration and mixing practice on a large scale becomes an impossible task at the end of the procurement period,” the official said.
purchase process
Procurement of grain is a complex process. In Punjab, four procurement agencies – Pangrain, PUNSP, Warehousing Corporation and Markfed – have been mandated to procure wheat from farmers. Mandis and other procurement centers managed by Agricultural Marketing Boards during the procurement season.
State Agricultural Marketing Boards are the bodies set up by the state for the purpose of regulating the agricultural market.
These procurement agencies hand over the purchased grains to the FCI for subsidized ration distribution and other schemes across the country, and pay for it collectively later in the year.
Some wheat is procured directly by FCI Markets and procurement centers in the state.
Meanwhile, the FCI sends its quality-assessment teams to every district in the states from where it wants to buy food grains. It is mandatory to visit these inspection teams Mandis Arrived there to collect grain samples.
The government official said that batches that do not meet the 6 percent criterion are rejected.
“This is how the first round of rejected batches often comes out. The grains are re-evaluated while the states hand over the wheat to the FCI, which may lead to further rejection of batches,” the government official said.
scorching heat effect
Many parts of India are passing through severe heat wave conditions for the last two months.
Punjab has registered a decline of 13.5% fall The scorching heat in late March and early April has led to a decrease in the production of wheat this year as compared to the previous season.
The heat conditions at the time of harvesting affect the quality of wheat grains and often cause them to shrink.
Farmer issues are a matter of great political sensitivity in Punjab – a state seen primarily as agrarian.
At the beginning of the procurement session last month, Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann had said promised 100% procurement of wheat yield of the state – same promise Shiromani Akali Dal And this Congress Governments were formed before them.
An AAP functionary told ThePrint that most state parties are reluctant to take any decision that could be “difficult” for farmers in the state.
“Farmer issues in Punjab are very sensitive, so every party usually thinks twice before taking a decision which can be difficult for farmers,” an AAP functionary told ThePrint. “At this point of time, it is a great achievement on our part that we have ensured 100 per cent hassle free procurement of wheat in our first year after coming to power.”
(Edited by Uttara Ramaswamy)
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