As you sow, so shall you reap

Thanks to a good monsoon, foodgrain output for the kharif season is projected at close to 130 million tonnes, against 128 mt last year.

The focus should now shift to ensuring quality of foodgrains. Quality control mechanisms must be in place, right from the selection of seeds, to pre- and post-harvest stages at the farm, as well as at the commercial level. In India, quality has been given only secondary consideration; the prime obsession has been with the availability of foodgrains.

It is in this context that the State governments’ role assumes importance. They should involve stakeholders such as scientists, farmers, extension workers, procuring agencies, storage and marketing agencies and other governmental agencies associated with the distribution of foodgrains.

Grow specific varieties

So, how can quality of foodgrains be preserved? One essential requirement is the development of area-specific varieties.

Currently, small and marginal farmers largely grow seeds of different varieties of crops such as wheat and rice, sometimes even without certification. Thus, the lots reaching mandis for sale are heterogeneous in their quality characteristics.

There is a need to have limited varieties with known features. Shortlisted varieties with known characteristics can be notified for a specified area and the farmer can be advised to grow only those varieties in that area.

Good agronomic practices and integrated pest management as well as timely use of adequate fertilisers during the pre-harvest stages after sowing will help ensure quality crop.

Only certified farm implements should be used. Presently, there is no mechanism to assess this; BIS certification can perhaps be made mandatory. The use of defective implements is one of the major reasons for productivity loss.

Attractive minimum support prices for wheat and paddy are leading to record procurement. The crops are available at levels exceeding the operational stocks for PDS and other welfare schemes.

Procurement standards can be met by promoting fair average quality (FAQ) specifications for foodgrains meant for distribution under PDS and other welfare schemes.

When it comes to procurement of foodgrains in excess of the requirement for PDS and other welfare schemes for sale/export, superior average quality specifications must be in line with international standards.

If mandis have to avoid an unmanageable glut of stocks in a short span during the onset of the procurement season, the authorities should facilitate a staggered process. This can be done by fixing a higher MSP for the initial two months of the marketing season and, thereafter, a lower MSP for stock brought for sale by farmers. Generally, there is a glut of stocks for procurement in the mandis .

In major procurement States such as Punjab and Haryana, the procurement period is very short. For instance, within a month, more than 100 lakh tonnes of wheat are procured in Punjab. So, a staggered system will not only ease the situation in the initial phase of procurement and facilitate farmers to retain some stock for sale at a later stage with higher MSP; it will also help in transporting stocks from mandis to storage centres.

Quality control makes monitoring and analysing samples essential at every step — right from the procurement stage, during storage, and at the time of supply. Currently, procuring agencies are required to have at least a moisture meter and analysis kit at the centres. Also, the automation of procurement operations by installing commercial drying, cleaning, grading and other related machines will help maintain the quality of foodgrains at the mandi level, before storage.

Storage facilities

Further, the use of a modern facility for storage of foodgrains is the key to preserving the quality of foodgrains, besides minimising avoidable storage losses.

At the farm level, modern metallic or non-metallic structures or even improved traditional structures can be used for safe storage. To store in bulk (commercial purposes) and without deterioration for a longer duration, foodgrains should be shifted from bags to silos . Modified atmospheric godowns can monitor quality and improve the shelf life of foodgrains.

Of late, there has been growing concern about genetically modified organisms (GMOs). Presently, India does not allow cultivation of GM foodgrain crops.

When permission is granted, there are chances of these crops being present in the lots being procured and traded in the country. In this case, quality control management becomes all the more important.

(Bhalla is Executive Director (Personnel), Food Corporation of India and Abhishikta Mullick is a freelance writer and expert on food security.)

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