• Investment World
• eWorld
• Catalyst
• Mentor
• Life
• Canvas
• Praxis
• Urban Pulse
• Brand Quest

Our Bureau

New Delhi , Oct. 13

THE Food Corporation of India (FCI) and the Rajasthan Cooperative Marketing Federation or Rajfed will, henceforth, procure bajra containing up to 7.5 per cent of slightly damaged/discoloured grain.

The Centre had earlier announced a relaxation in the quality norm to 5 per cent of slightly damaged/discoloured grain, as against the 2.5 per cent level provided in FCI's uniform specifications for procurement.

The additional relaxation comes in the wake of the visit of a two-member Central team, which has recommended the same in view of the damage caused to the standing crop by untimely rains in September.

For the 2003-04 kharif marketing season (October-September), the Centre has declared a Minimum Support Price (MSP) of Rs 505 per quintal for bajra, as against Rs 495 per quintal for the previous season (which included a Rs 10 per quintal special drought relief component).

The Union Minister for Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution, Mr Sharad Yadav told newspersons here on Monday that while the Rs 505 per quintal MSP would be paid on the bajra confirming to the uniform specification of up to 2.5 per cent of slight damaged/discoloured grain, for the grain with relaxed specifications of up to 5 per cent and 7.5 per cent, the procurement would be done at Rs 500 per quintal and Rs 495 per quintal, respectively.

Mr Yadav defended the move to relax quality norms, citing untimely rains in Rajasthan at harvest-time during September. "Rajasthan has had a series of drought years. This time, the farmers have harvested a bumper crop and we would not like them to suffer due to a crash in prices. We will ensure that their grain is procured at a fair price, which includes even the bajra that has suffered some quality damage," Mr Yadav said.

According to him, over one lakh tonnes (lt) of bajra is likely to be procured this year by FCI and Rajfed, which would acting as the former's sub-agent. Rajasthan is expected to produce about 30 lt of bajra this year. The country as a whole is anticipated to produce 7.72 million tonnes (mt) of bajra, as against last year's 4.62 mt. Besides the one lt likely procurement from Rajasthan, another one lt has already been procured by the Haryana Cooperative Marketing Federation (HAFED), which will also ultimately devolve on the central pool.

Article E-Mail :: Comment :: Syndication

Stories in this Section
Dubai commodities body launches receipt system for financing, bulk storage

Copyright © 2003, The Hindu Business Line. Republication or redissemination of the contents of this screen are expressly prohibited without the written consent of The Hindu Business Line