HYDERABAD: IT and Industries Minister KT Rama Rao has called out the double standards of the Centre with regard to the procurement of foodgrains, which, he said, had resulted in a serious foodgrain crisis.In a statement here on Saturday, Rama Rao said the Centre had boasted that it had stocks that could last four years, but now has imposed restrictions on the export of wheat and wheat-based products, levied 20 per cent duty on rice exports, and imposed a ban on the export of broken rice as well.
“The Centre had put pressure on the States by announcing that it will not procure parboiled rice in Rabi season. It had asked the States to reduce the cultivation of paddy and go for alternat
ive crops. As a result, the area under cultivation of paddy has not taken place in 95 lakh acres in the country as compared to last year, which means that production of paddy will come down by 12-15 million tonnes this season. Now that the foodgrain stocks have decreased, the Centre has decided to impose these restrictions as the food grain stocks in FCI godowns have been dwindling. This is clear failure of the Centre’s foodgrains procurement policy,” he remarked.
Demanding that Union Minister for Food and Public Distribution Piyush Goyal formulate a comprehensive ‘One Nation One Procurement’ policy, Rama Rao wanted him to explain the Centre’s latest move to increase export duty on foodgrains and restrictions on their export. The State Minister felt that the Centre needed to set aside politics and take unbiased decisions. He asked Piyush Goyal to take steps to procure the entire produce of foodgrains from States like Telangana, which have been producing foodgrains in large quantities.
