Govt. to seek foodgrains free from Centre

By S. Rajendran

BANGALORE, JULY 14. The State Government is planning to seek free supply of foodgrains from the Centre considering the drought in most parts of the State.

The Government feels that apart from funds for drought relief works, foodgrains can also be sought from the Centre. Since warehouses and godowns under the central pool have surplus stocks, it is believed here that the Centre would be too happy to heed to the request under the Food-for-Work Programme, which was revived recently.

Sources in the Government told The Hindu that if the Centre supplied foodgrains free, they would be distributed to poor agricultural labourers, who would be given work in water supply and land management projects. These workers, who have been deprived of employment following the failure of the monsoon, would thus be saved from hunger. As per reports from some districts, drought had already led to an increase in unemployment in rural areas.

The Minister of State for Food and Civil Supplies, Mr. D. B. Inamdar, who has taken the initiative to approach the Union Government on the issue, told The Hindu that the Centre had a buffer stock of 600 million tonnes of foodgrains, which was in excess of the requirement. It had announced several measures to reduce the stock. The programme could be implemented in the State at least till the situation improved.

He expressed confidence that the Centre would heed to the request of the State. A recent suggestion of the State Government prompted the Centre to announce the sale of wheat at minimum export price to roller flour mills.

Under the Food-for-Work Programme, the Government planned to employ several people in afforestation programmes at the village and taluk levels, desilting of tanks in villages, development of roads in remote areas, water conservation schemes and development of small watersheds. Reports point out that unless the State Government undertook drought relief works immediately, there could be shortage of foodgrains and fodder.

Mr. Inamdar said the Government would accept any foodgrain from the Centre. ``Be it rice or wheat, it does not matter so long as we can help the poor people in rural areas. It will be the responsibility of the State Government to get the works executed under the programme,'' he said.

There are surplus stocks of ragi in the State following a bumper summer crop and the Government has decided to seek the permission of the Centre to procure it from the market and sell it through the public distribution system (PDS) at subsidised rates. The price of ragi has been around Rs. 300 a quintal even as the market intervention scheme was launched two months ago. Though the Government procured around 1.5 lakh tonnes of ragi during the kharif season, it was still being sold below the minimum support price, which is Rs. 445 a quintal. It will be made available under the PDS at about Rs. 3 a kg.

Mr. Inamdar said the Government would request the Centre to fix the minimum support price for all coarse grains on par with that of wheat (Rs. 610 per quintal). Wheat and rice along with jowar or ragi were the staple diet in the State. Fixing a uniform support price for all foodgrains would ensure a better deal for the farmers was the argument put forward by the Government to the Central Agricultural Prices Commission. The Centre should directly procure coarse grains if their prices collapsed. These grains, including ragi or jowar, were not in demand in most States.

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