WHEAT PROCUREMENT BY PRIVATE TRADE SUGGESTED
Shri Sharad Yadav,
Minister of Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution has
suggested participation of private trade in the procurement of
wheat to instil a spirit of competitiveness in the system. This,
he said would eventually result in the reduction of economic cost
of wheat and a consequent reduction in the food subsidy besides
ensuring better availability of wheat for the milling industry.
Addressing the 63rd Annual General Meeting of Roller
Flour Mills Federation of India here today the Minister said that
monopoly procurement by central and state agencies had led to
certain inherent inefficiency in the system, and pointed out the
need for extending procurement operations to more states.
Shri Yadav assured
the members of Roller Flour Mills Federation that the central
pool has sufficient stock of wheat to meet the requirements of
domestic consumption and conversion to wheat products. Under Open
Market Sale Scheme (Domestic) for sale of wheat to indigenous
industry a total of over 104 lakh MTs of wheat has been sold during
the last two years and the bulk of which had been used by the
flour mills. However, the Roller Flour Mills in some regions might
have been facing problems in getting their stocks due to the increased
stocking of foodgrains for TPDS and other foodgrains based welfare
schemes in every state of the country; the Minister admitted.
On export of wheat
products Shri Yadav assured the exporters to examine the possibility
of bringing parity in prices of wheat issued for export of wheat
as such and for export as wheat products. At present wheat product
exporters are being issued wheat at a rate higher than that of
wheat exporters. However, as compared to wheat exporters who are
required to submit export documents for 99 per cent of the quantity
lifted from FCI the wheat product exporters are required to submit
export documents only for 65 per cent of the quantity lifted from
the central pool. Further, wheat product exporters are issued
wheat on " Net Weight Basis" a facility which is not available
to the exporters of wheat. He also assured the Roller Flour Mills
that despite export of foodgrains the central pool had sufficient
stock and availability of foodgrains was never a problem in tackling
the severe drought which the country witnessed last year. He congratulated
the exporters for making a dent in the international market for
wheat product exports by exporting 7.5 lakh tonnes of wheat products
last year to countries like Sri Lanka , Indonesia, Egypt, South
Africa and Middle East.
