Record foodgrain production, procurement in 2018-19: Paswan

Buoyed by an above normal monsoon, India is estimated to achieve record foodgrain production and procurement in fiscal 2018-19, Union Minister for Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution Ram Vilas Paswan said on Monday. "As per the fourth advance estimates on September 26, 2018, wheat production is likely to be 997 lakh tonnes and procurement 357.95 lakh tonnes for this fiscal against 985.10 lakh tonnes and 308.24 lakh tonnes in the last fiscal," Paswan told reporters on the margins of the inter-session meeting of the consultative committee of his ministry.

Similarly, as per the first estimates of the Ministry of Agriculture, the production of rice is expected to be 992.4 lakh tonnes and procurement 304.9 lakh tonnes in FY19, as against production of 1,129.1 lakh tonnes and procurement of 381.84 lakh tonnes in 2017-18. The state-run Food Corporation of India (FCI) has developed an e-procurement module of foodgrains to allow transparency and convenience to farmers, Paswan said.

The e-auction of foodgrains under the Open Market Sale Scheme has reduced human interference and brought more transparency, he added. There was a need to ensure proper facilities through godowns and silos for the storing of the procured foodgrain, the Union Minister said.

"The consultative committee was told the state governments often face difficulties in land acquisition for godowns due to the prerequisite of being near railway lines," a statement from the Ministry of Consumer Affairs said.