3 JUL, 2012, PTI
NEW DELHI: Buoyed by record production of wheat in the country, government's procurement of the key food staple rose by 36 per cent to a record 37.85 million tonnes (mt) in the current marketing season so far.
The government had purchased 27.85 mt of wheat in the 2011-12 wheat marketing season (April-March). Wheat purchase in this season has surpassed government's target of 32 mt.
As per official data, wheat procurement as on July 3 was 37.85 mt and the arrivals stood at 40.13 mt.
Punjab and Haryana have procured nearly 12.83 mt and 8.66 mt of wheat, respectively, in the current season.
Wheat purchase in Madhya Pradesh stood at 8.49 mt, while in Uttar Pradesh it was 5.02 mt.
Wheat output in India, world's second-largest producer, is estimated at a record 90.23 mt in the 2011-12 crop year (July-June). The minimum support price of wheat stands at Rs 1,285 per quintal.
Record production of foodgrains in the last two consecutive years has led to storage problem.
As on June 1, the stock of wheat and rice in the central pool stood at 82.32 mt, including 50.17 mt of wheat and 32.15 mt of rice. This is more than the strategic and buffer norms set by the government.
As per government rules, the strategic and buffer stock of wheat and rice as of July 1 should be 31.9 mt, which includes 26.9 mt as buffer stock and 5 mt as strategic reserve.
Presently, the country has a total storage capacity of about 63 mt.
No comments:
Post a Comment