Centre to buy 1 mn tonnes of rice in Aug

The Centre will procure about 1 million tonnes of rice in the next three to four weeks, Agriculture and Food Minister Sharad Pawar said.

“We have procured 264 lakh tonnes of rice in the 2007-08 season compared to 258 lakh tonnes last season,” Pawar said.

The minister’s comment assumes significance in view of the apprehension that the Centre may not be able to procure the targetted 276 lakh tonnes of rice this year. Government officials said the target has been reduced to 270 lakh tonnes because of low procurement and they hope the Centre would be able to reach that level in the next two months when the rice procurement season comes to an end in September.

 

“In Punjab, there is about half a million tonnes, which the state government has assured it will procure... Punjab is not the only state,” he said, adding there is a little shortfall in Andhra Pradesh, Kerala, Chhattisgarh and Orissa.

Officials admitted it is a matter of concern that the Centre has not been able to procure enough rice despite the record production of 96.43 million tonnes and imposing a ban on non-basmati exports.

Meanwhile, Pawar expressed hope that there would be good crops this year. “There were deficient rains. But the situation has improved in the last 8-10 days and the trend is encouraging,” the minister said. The area under paddy so far is 20-22 per cent more this year, compared with the corresponding period last year, the minister said, adding the delayed monsoon, however, has impacted cotton, sugarcane and jowar crops.

“One has to see how we can compensate some of the area losses and if we can bring some additional areas during next Rabi. We have to plan, we are working in that direction,” Pawar said.

The minister also added that the area under deficient rains is now limited.