NEW DELHI: Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Tuesday reviewed the food grains production and supply position at a high-level meeting attended among others by Food and Agriculture Minister Sharad Pawar and Finance Minister P. Chidambaram. Senior officials from the Food and Agriculture and Fertilizer Ministries were present.

Dr. Singh explored the possibility of raising the cash component in the national food-for-work programme from the present 50 per cent to 75 per cent as demanded by some States. The discussions included the foodgrain stocks position and the price situation. If kharif (paddy) output were to falter in one or two major States due to the uncertainty of monsoon, then the off-take under the programme might go up.

According to Mr. Pawar, the issue of raising the cash component under the programme is likely to be discussed at the coming meeting of the National Development Council and a decision will be taken by the Chief Ministers. Dr. Singh apprised himself of the availability of foodgrains for the programme as also the outgo of subsidy for the 100 per cent Centrally-sponsored programme.

The food-for-work programme provides for 100 days of work per person per below poverty line rural family in 150 backward districts, particularly during lean days. The annual requirement is estimated at Rs. 5,400 crores and 37 lakh tonnes of foodgrains. This programme is in addition to the Sampooran Gramin Rozgar Yojna.

Since the launch of the programme last November, against an allocation of 14.25 lakh tonnes of rice in 2004-05, the off-take has been 3.06 lakh tonnes between December and March. In April, the off-take was 0.27 lakh tonnes. Against 5.75 lakh tonnes of wheat, the off-take between December and March has been 0.65 lakh tonnes and in April 0.12 lakh tonnes.

Referring to the delay in the monsoon, Mr. Pawar said that for almost all kharif crops the peak-sowing season was July. Paddy sowing season was between March and August, coarse cereals could be sown between April and August; pulses from May to August and oilseeds from May to August.

Putting the production of rabi wheat at 72 million tonnes (against the earlier Ministry estimate of 73.5 million tonnes), he said the estimate was based on the calculations of State agencies and the Space Applications Centre, Ahmedabad. He expected the foodgrain output to touch 210 million tonnes this year.

"The Government has adequate stocks of rice and wheat to meet all its obligations. Besides, all options, including imports, are open to the Government to meet any unforeseen requirement,'' he said.

While Mr. Pawar later chaired an inter-departmental meeting to review kharif credit, Cabinet Secretary B.K. Chaturvedi, in a separate meeting, re-assessed the advance of the monsoon and kharif sowing operations with senior officials of the Ministries.

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