Naidu renews plea for relaxation of norms

By Our Special Correspondent

HYDERABAD, NOV. 13. The Chief Minister, Mr. N. Chandrababu Naidu, has renewed his plea to the Centre for relaxing procurement norms to help farmers dispose of accumulated stocks of paddy and maize to the Food Corporation of India, AP Markfed and millers.

In a letter to the Union Minister for Consumer Affairs and Public Distribution, Mr. Shanta Kumar, on Monday, Mr. Naidu said farmers were not able to get the minimum support price (MSP) despite heavy arrivals of paddy and maize into the market since they did not conform to the existing specifications. The norms related to damaged, discoloured, sprouted and weevilled grains for paddy, moisture content in respect of rice and maize.

Though the FCI and the Markfed had opened 54 centres for purchase of maize, a mere 10,637 tonnes had so far been procured, Mr. Naidu was quoted as informing the Union Minister, according to a press release by the CMO. Much of the stocks was rejected as being below the specifications. Again, for the same reason, the FCI could purchase only 742 tonnes of paddy although it notified all its 130 depots in the State as paddy purchasing centres.

Millers were buying paddy with high moisture content. They would be encouraged to step up procurement if the moisture percentage in rice was relaxed to 15 per cent. The State Government sought 8 per cent relaxation on damaged, discoloured, sprouted and weevilled grains of paddy, 15 per cent waiver on moisture level in rice and 18 per cent in respect of moisture in maize.

The farmers' problems and progress of procurement figured prominently also at the weekly Cabinet meeting on Monday. It reviewed the crop and marketing conditions, price situation and procurement of foodgrains, as well as seasonal conditions.

Accordingly, the three-member Cabinet sub-committee to go into the problems of the farmers in the context of low remunerative prices was strengthened with the addition of two more Ministers. The Minister for Civil Supplies, Dr. N. Janardhan Reddy, is convenor of the panel consisting of the Ministers for Marketing (Mr. B. Veera Reddy), Agriculture (Mr. V. Sobhanadreeswara Rao), Major Irrigation ( Mr. M. Venkateswara Rao) and Major Industries (Mr. K. Vidyadhara Rao).

Briefing reporters, Dr. Janardhan Reddy said a committee of officers, headed by the Joint Collector, was also set up in the districts to oversee procurement and more important, ensure payment of Government-fixed minimum support price to farmers and see that they did not resort to distress selling.

He said every effort was being made to educate the farmers not to sell their produce below the MSP level and that millers or traders offering less would be liable to have their licences cancelled. Ministers touring their native districts were advised to monitor the situation and report to the Cabinet. He said the prices offered this year were higher than last year. Again, the procurement of rice by the FCI at 4.8 lakh tonnes from October 1 till date was much higher than 2 lakhs tonnes for the corresponding period last year.

The Minister said the State Government was pursuing with Delhi for relaxation of norms as was given to Haryana and Punjab, apart from permission to export rice to other countries.

On the reduction in the issue price of PDS rice for the above poverty level (APL) beneficiaries by the Centre, the Minister said it would result in easing the burden on the State Government to a tune of about Rs 240 crores. He was, however, non-committal on whether the savings would be passed on to the BPL beneficiaries by further reducing the subsidy rice supplied to them.

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Section  : Southern States
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