Pawar calls for a clear food managing policy

New Delhi, June 2 (UNI) Union Agriculture and Food Minister Sharad Pawar today said the government should consider fixing a procurement price for foodgrains for purchasing the required quantity for the central pool as the Minimum Support Price (MSP) which is also the procurement price at present serves as a guarantee price for farmers in a bumper crop year only.

While inaugurating a seminar on 'Emerging Issues in Food Management', Mr Pawar pointed out that the food subsidy for running public distribution system has increased to Rs 23,280 crore in 2004-05 from Rs 7,900 crore in 1997-98 and a provision of Rs 24,200 crore has been provided in the Union Budget for 2006-07.

The Seminar was organised by the Commission for Agricultural Costs and Prices (CACP) to discuss an appropriate pricing mechanism for India and efficient management of food procurement for public distribution system.

Mr Pawar further underlined the need for a clearly laid down food management policy for addressing medium and long-term issues. A time has come when the government should provide price support for foodgrains production in procuring states at a much larger scale especially those in the eastern region.

Production of coarse cereals also need to be made an important component of our food management since these are relatively more nutritive and preferred items in large part of the country, the minister said.

He said the government has introduced, a new scheme to make extension services more farmer-friendly and based on technology dissemination. This scheme, the Agricultural Technology Mangement Agency constituted in 234 districts out of the 252 proposed districts would provide extension service to farmers.

Referring to the comparatively lower procurement of wheat at 92 lakh tonnes during the current marketing season, the minister said the issue of higher procurement for the central pool assumed greater significance after the amendment of the Agricultural Produce Marketing Committee (APMC) Act which inter alia provided for private parties to purchase directly from farmers.

While the country has to promote free import and export of foodgrains, we should also ensure that there was enough quantity of foodgrains in the world market, Mr Pawar pointed out.

In this context he also referred to the response received by India to the recently floated tenders for wheat import of 3 million tonnes and underlined the need for increasing production to meet the demand.

Speaking on the occasion Dr T Haque, Chairman, CACP called for a paradigm shift in the food management policy.

The government should think of a policy under which livelihood measures both farm and non-farm should be devised with focus on job-oriented programmes. Public distribution system should be sharply targeted to the most needy and the vulnerable, Mr Haque added.

Representatives from state governments suggested measures like revision of the quantum of foodgrains supplied under PDS, making fair price shops more financially viable, making available institutional credit to farmers, fixation of a rational procurement price etc.

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