The Centre’s wheat procurement is ready to say no by greater than half to 19.5 million tonnes within the the present rabi advertising and marketing yr amid larger exports and certain fall in output, meals secretary Sudhanshu Pandey mentioned on Wednesday, and asserted there gained’t be any concern for assembly the home demand below the Public Distribution System.
The secretary additionally dominated out a risk of imposing any curbs on wheat exports as farmers are getting larger than the Minimum Support Price (MSP) for his or her produce.
Addressing a press convention right here, Pandey mentioned: “We don’t see a case for any control on exports. ….Wheat exports are on and in fact the government is facilitating the traders,” he mentioned.
New export markets resembling Egypt, Turkey and a few European Union international locations are opening for Indian wheat. Agri-export promotion physique APEDA is facilitating the shipments, he mentioned.
Pandey mentioned that personal merchants have contracted for export of 4 million tonnes for the present quarter, and 1 million tonnes have been shipped already.
Indian merchants have a window for exports until June when the wheat crop from Argentina will arrive, thereby growing the worldwide availability and lowering strain on India, he added.
Wheat exports stood at a file 7 million tonnes in 2021-22 fiscal.
Amid rise in demand for wheat for export, the secretary mentioned farmers are promoting their produce to non-public gamers at greater than the MSP. This has resulted in decrease procurement by the federal government businesses.
The fall in authorities procurement, he asserted, goes in “favour of farmers” as they’re getting larger than the MSP supplied by the federal government businesses.
However, about general foodgrain administration state of affairs, the Secretary mentioned, “We are still in surplus situation.” “…The government’s wheat procurement has reduced. But the availability and procurement of rice is sufficient to meet the demand under the National Food Security Act,” he added.
Pandey mentioned that the federal government’s wheat procurement has touched 17.5 million tonnes to date, and whole buy is more likely to attain 19.5 million tonnes within the 2022-23 advertising and marketing yr, a lot decrease than the final yr, he added.
Another 2 million tonnes of wheat is anticipated to be procured from Madhya Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh, he mentioned.
Earlier the federal government had fastened the wheat procurement goal at 44.4 million tonnes for the 2022-23 advertising and marketing yr as in opposition to an all-time excessive of 433.44 lakh tonnes within the earlier advertising and marketing yr.
The rabi advertising and marketing season runs from April to March however the bulk procurement ends by June.
Pandey attributed the autumn in wheat procurement to a number of components, together with larger market costs of wheat in some states in comparison with the MSP, shares being held by farmers and merchants in anticipation of additional worth rise and decrease than estimated manufacturing in some states.
The agriculture ministry has revised downwards the estimate for wheat manufacturing by 5.7 per cent to 105 million tonnes within the 2021-22 crop yr ending June, from the sooner projection of 111.32 million tonnes, because the crop productiveness has been affected as a result of early onset of summer time, he mentioned.
India’s wheat manufacturing stood at 109.59 million tonnes within the 2020-21 crop yr (July-June).
The decreasing of estimates has been attributed to “early summer” that has affected the crop yields in states, particularly Punjab, Haryana and Uttar Pradesh, he added.
State-owned Food Corporation of India (FCI) and different businesses undertake procurement at a minimal help worth to satisfy the requirement below the Public Distribution System (PDS) and different welfare schemes.
Source: www.financialexpress.com”