On Saturday, the Centre stated that it had enough food grain reserves to satisfy the criteria of the food security law and other social initiatives. The government is also maintaining a close watch on the cost of essential commodities.
“Government of India has sufficient food grain stocks under the central pool to meet the requirement of NFSA and its other welfare schemes as well as for additional allocation of Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Anna Yojana (PMGKAY),” the official statement issued on December 17 read.
On January 1, 2023, about 159 lakh tonnes of wheat and 104 lakh tonnes of rice would be available, compared to the corresponding buffer requirements needs of 138 lakh tonnes of wheat and 76 lakh tonnes of rice on January 1. According to the statement, as of December 15, the central pool has about 180 lakh tonnes of wheat and 111 lakh tonnes of rice.
Buffer standards requirements have been established for several days throughout the year, such as April 1, July 1, October 1, and January 1, as stated by the ministry. “The stock position of wheat and rice under the central pool has always remained well above the buffer norms,” it asserted.
On October 1, 2022, about 227 lakh tonnes of wheat and 205 lakh tonnes of rice were available, compared to the corresponding buffer standards needs of 205 lakh tonnes of wheat and 103 lakh tonnes of rice.
“Though procurement of wheat during last season was on the lower side due to lesser production coupled with selling by farmers at prices higher than MSP in the open market consequent to the geopolitical situation, yet enough stock of wheat will still be available in a central pool to cater to the needs of the country till the time next wheat crop arrives,” the ministry noted.
Furthermore, allocations under the National Food Security Act (NFSA) and the Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Anna Yojana (PMGKAY) have been changed in favor of rice in order to guarantee adequate wheat stock in the central pool.
The Center under the PMGKAY program offers free food grains of 5 kg per month to approximately 80 crore persons covered by the NFSA. According to the reports, the Union government has increased the MSP (minimum support price) of wheat harvest this year to Rs 2,125 per quintal, up from Rs 2,015 per quintal last year for the Rabi Marketing Season 2022-23.
Thus, with an increase in MSP of Rs 110/quintal and relatively favourable weather circumstances, it is projected that wheat output and procurement would remain normal over the next season.
The statement comes a day after the government in Rajya Sabha stated that the current wheat stocks in India had fallen below the mandatory threshold limit known as buffer norms for the first time in nearly a decade. Agriculture minister Narendra Singh Tomar stated that the country’s total stocks of federally-held food grains (rice and wheat combined) as on December 1, stood at 30.5 million tonnes. “Of this, wheat reserves were at 19 million tonnes while rice stock stood at 11.5 million tonnes”, he said.
However, the government reaffirmed on Friday that it has enough food grains available in the central pool to fulfil the requirements of all welfare programs across the country while keeping costs under control.
