New Delhi: The government has achieved a record procurement of wheat and rice in the 2019-20 season. It has procured 38.97 million tonnes of wheat, which is the highest so far although a little short of the target of 40.7 million tonnes. Rice procurement of 50.5 million tonnes, on the other hand, is 21% more than the target.
“The high procurement was significant in view of Covid-19 pandemic. Through procurement, the government injected money in the farm sector and helped farmers fight the pandemic,” said a senior food ministry official.
Higher procurement normally creates storage problems but free distribution of grains under the PM Garib Kalyan Ann Yojana (PMGKY) created enough space. Under the scheme, 810 million ration card holders get 5 kg rice or wheat per month and 1 kg chana per family per month free until November. This is over and above the National Food Security Act (NFSA), with which every card holder gets 5 kg per month of subsidised grain.
