64,000 MT Rabi pulses procured, additional import ordered

Procurement of Rabi pulses has reached to 64,000 MT as on June 13 while the government has also ordered further import of 12,500 MT pulses for buffer stocks, an official source said on Tuesday.

The Food Ministry source said here that together with earlier procurement of 51,000 MT of kharif (summer) crop, total domestic procurement of pulses by government agencies has reached to 1,15,000 MT.

"The government has also ordered further import of 12,500 MT pulses for buffer stocks which include 10,000 MT masur and 2,500 MT urad," an official release said adding so far 14,321 MT pulses have already imported by the government agencies against the total contracted quantity of 38,500 MT.

This was informed in an inter-ministerial review meeting chaired by Consumer Affairs and Food Secretary Hem Pande here on Tuesday.

The meeting also reviewed the prices of essential commodities and discussed measures to ensure availability of these commodities at reasonable prices.

Pande also reviewed lifting and distribution of the pulses allocated from the buffer stock.

Only Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Telangana and Safal and Kendriya Bhandar in Delhi, have lifted allocated pulses.

At the meeting, while officials discussed lowering of import duty on wheat, an official of Food Corporation of India (FCI) informed that it has sufficient stocks of wheat to cater to requirements of the public distribution system and buffer norms besides open markets sale operations.

The meeting also reviewed the enforcement measures being taken by the states to check hoarding of essential commodities.

The meeting was attended by senior officials of Ministries of Food, Agriculture, Commerce and Statistics and Programme Implementation, the release said.

--IANS

nd/vd