Centre eases wheat procurement norms

The Centre has relaxed wheat procurement norms in Punjab following the crop damage due to untimely rains, the state government said Friday. Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh had written to Prime Minister Narendra Modi urging him to ease wheat procurement norms in view of losses incurred by farmers after unseasonal rains damaged the crop this month.

"The Government of India has accepted Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh's request for relaxation in the wheat specification for procurement in the current season, on account of lustre loss due to unseasonal rains," an official spokesman said on Friday. The central government has decided to procure wheat in the state with relaxation on a provisional basis in the uniform specifications of the crop during the Rabi Marketing Season 2019-20, the spokesman said.

The relaxation comes into immediate effect, and will remain till final analysis report of the joint team is received. A spokesperson of the Food and Civil Supplies department also said the Union Ministry of Consumer Affairs Food & Public Distribution had conveyed its decision to the state food and civil supplies department.

It had been decided by the central government to allow the purchase of lustre lost wheat containing up to 10 per cent kernels without any value cut. The ministry has also allowed percentage relaxation in lustre lost wheat on district wise basis by allowing the percentage of relaxation up to 50 per cent in the districts of Bathinda, Faridkot, Mukhtsar and Ferozepur, while relaxation percentage up to 75 per cent has been allowed in the Fazilka and Hoshiarpur districts.

Luster lost wheat containing more than 10 per cent and up to 75 per cent affected kernels may be purchased with one-fourth of one value cut on a flat basis, he said. In case of lustre loss, crop loses its shine and it is to be consumed early as it becomes prone to insect attack.