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The Centre has relaxed norms for procuring wheat in Madhya Pradesh with a rider that payment should be lower than the minimum support price (MSP) of ₹2,125/quintal if the grain has a lustre loss of more than 10 per cent. No other State government has requested any relaxation in quality norms after unseasonal rains and hailstorms hit several parts of the wheat-growing States.
In a communication to the Principal Secretary (Food) in Madhya Pradesh, Viswajeet Haldar, a deputy commissioner in Food Ministry, said, “In order to reduce the hardship of farmers and to avoid distress sale, it has been decided to procure wheat in Madhya Pradesh” with certain relaxations in Uniform Specifications during the 2023-24 marketing season (April-March).
The Ministry said there will be no “value cut” for lustre loss of up to 10 per cent, and a flat 25 per cent reduction from 1 per cent of MSP on lustre loss10 to 80 per cent. Thus, for every quintal of wheat with more than 10 per cent lustre loss, the farmer in MP will receive ₹5.31 lesser than the MSP.
Uniform specifications
According to the Uniform Specifications approved by the Food Ministry, wheat to be purchased should have natural size, shape, colour and lustre. It further said the grain should be sweet, clean, wholesome and free from obnoxious smells, discolouration, admixture of deleterious substances, including toxic weed seeds, and all other impurities, except to the extent provided separately.
For fair and average quality (FAQ) wheat, the maximum permissible limit for foreign matter is 0.75 per cent, other foodgrains 2 per cent, damaged grains 2 per cent, slightly damaged grains 4 per cent, shrivelled and broken grains 6 per cent, and moisture up to 12 per cent.
Meanwhile, official data shows wheat procurement in the State has touched 98,485 tonnes in three days since purchase under MSP started on March 28. On the other hand, arrivals between March 15 and March 30 stood at 7.81 lakh tonnes (lt). The average mandi prices are ruling between ₹1,800/quintal and ₹2,260/quintal, which traders attributed to higher than normal moisture.
The State aims to purchase 80 lt for the Central Pool this season. In the 2022-23 season, purchase dropped to 46.03 lt, against the target of 129 lt, whereas procurement was over 128 lt during 2021-22.
According to traders, a similar allowance for wheat procurement was made in 2002-03 by the Centre.
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