Date:09/08/2008 URL: http://www.thehindu.com/2008/08/09/stories/2008080951720300.htm

Andhra Pradesh

Target in rice procurement achieved

Staff Reporter

Sustained paddy harvest and ban on rice export help West Godavari take the lead

Kakinada: East Godavari district stood first in procurement of rice (both raw and boiled) by achieving the targets well in advance due to sustained paddy harvest and temporary ban on export of rice.

The procurement year 2007-08 is to end on September 30, 2008, but the district has already taken the lead in acquiring the commodity.

The original target for the district was nearly 9 lakh tonnes but it was subsequently scaled up to 12,75,940 tonnes (9,58,150 tonnes raw and 3,17,790 tonnes boiled rice).

As on date, a quantity of 12,59,753 tonnes (9,58,140 tonnes raw rice and 3,01,613 tonnes boiled rice) has been procured, a substantial part of it accounted as levy rice by millers who had to desist from exporting rice during the ban period.

It is 98.73 per cent of the target achieved, according to official sources.

The total target for the procurement year 2006-07 was 6,88,343 tonnes. As per norms, the rice millers have to provide 75 per cent of the commodity for sale through ration shops and are free to sell the balance stocks in the open market.

It is in this context that the ban on exports helped the Food and Civil Supplies Department in procuring such a massive quantity of rice.

This year’s procurement amounts to approximately 1.276 crore quintals, which is unprecedented in the district. The State target of procurement is 62,00,000 plus quintals, of which East Godavari district alone accounts for nearly 21 per cent.