Govt aims to procure 30 mln tons of rice in 2015-16

The government has fixed rice procurement target of 30 million tonnes for the 2015-16 marketing year starting October and while directing States to open adequate number of purchasing centres.
Rice procurement has already surpassed the target of 30 million tonnes set for the ongoing 2014-15 marketing year (October September).
The Food Corporation of India (FCI), the nodal agency for foodgrain procurement and distribution, has so far purchased 31.51 million tonnes.
"The procurement target for the 2015-16 marketing season has been finalised 30 million tonnes," an official statement said.
India is estimated to have produced over 102 million tonnes of rice in 2014-15 crop year (July-June).

Target for Chhattisgarh has been kept at 3.6 million tonnes, Haryana (2.34 million tonnes), Andhra Pradesh and Bihar (2 million tonnes each), Jharkhand (3,00,000 tonnes), Kerala (1,00,000 tonnes), Karnataka (95,000 tonnes) and Assam (50,000 tonnes), it said.

Rice procurement target was fixed at the meeting of the state food secretaries chaired by Union Food Secretary Vrinda Sarup. The meeting also reviewed arrangements for procurement of paddy and coarse grains for 2015-16.
To ensure smooth procurement operation, the states have been asked to open adequate purchase centres and deploy sufficient manpower.
States have also been advised to make arrangements to publicise about minimum support price (MSP) as well as about procurement centres both in print and audio-visual media and pamphlets in local languages.

On storage front, the state governments have also been asked to give details of storage plan for the ensuing kharif marketing season and prepare action plan to meet the deficit in storage requirement.
Regarding packaging material, states have been told to place indents for purchase of jute bags in time to avoid last minute shortage of packaging material.
The states have also been directed to furnish, on daily basis, the district-wise procurement details of previous day for Online Procurement Monitoring System (OPMS).