Record procurement of wheat in Bihar

Statesman News Service
PATNA, June 8: Finally, Bihar shows the way for the rest of the country. With record procurements of wheat this year, the Bihar government has asked the Centre to lift at least 1.5 lakh metric tons of wheat from the state as there is no longer space in its godowns 
The government claims to have procured a record 3.06 lakh mt of wheat till date this year, leaving no space in the Food Corporation of India (FCI) godowns here.
In a letter to the Union minister for agriculture and consumer affairs, Mr Sharad Pawar, the chief minister Mr Nitish Kumar wrote, "I would be grateful if you could instruct your officials to urgently ensure movement of at least 1.5 lakh metric tons of wheat with FCI for destinations outside the state so as to make space in the godowns for further procurement".
"From a situation where the procurement has been a few thousand metric tons during the preceding years, Bihar has already procured 3.06 lakh metric tons of wheat till date. While our procurement efforts are in full swing, the Food Corporation of India (FCI) is facing a major crisis of storage owing to the paucity of godowns available with it," he stated.
"In our efforts to increase procurement and to ensure that the farmers are benefited by the MSP, the procured wheat stocks need to be moved out of the FCI godowns so as to make storage space for further procurement by FCI", he mentioned in his missive.
He added that the state government had also financially supported the procurement efforts by giving an additional bonus of Rs 25 on every quintal of wheat procured from farmers.
The government procurement efforts had earlier come in for praise from an unlikely source, senior RJD leader and the Union minister of state for food and civil supplies, Mr Akhilesh Singh. For all that his party is in the Opposition in the state, Mr Singh had stated: "It was the sheer effort of the state government that the grain procurement that was barely 48,000 mt in 2000-2001 has now jumped to 3.15 lakh mt this year", though he did not miss the opportunity to criticise the NDA government for its failure to utilize central funds.
Apparently emboldened by the record procurement of wheat, Mr Nitish Kumar on Sunday flayed the Centre's economic policies for the price rise in the country and advised it to immediately initiate measure to check it.
"Food grain production has recorded a new high this year. This should offset possibilities of shortages which often contribute to spiralling price rises. Bihar has also registered its presence in a significant way on the procurement map of the country. From a situation where the procurement has been a few thousand metric tons during the preceding years, Bihar has already procured 3.06 lakh metric tons of wheat till date", the CM wrote in another missive addressed to the Prime Minister.
He said the efforts by the state government had kept the price under control to some extent but the overall economic policy of the Government of India and the recent hike in the prices of petroleum products had contributed to the present price rise which is still a matter of concern and requires immediate intervention.
"I would be grateful if steps are initiated by Government of India so that the overall price rise in the country is immediately brought under control", the CM wrote.

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Ranjan Rituraj Sinh , NOIDA
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