Record Wheat production and foodgrain storage crisis

Record Wheat production and foodgrain storage crisis

Agriculture Ministry in its estimate of wheat output in the country at 88.31 mt in the 2011-12 .India government  set the food grain production target at 250 million tons for 2012-13, lower than last years 252 millions tons.The rice production target has been raised to 104 millions for 2012-13 from 103.41 million tons last year. While, wheat is lowered to 86 million tons compared to 90.23 million tons.Government finds itself in state of fix with no adequate plan to manage and store the food grains ..
When India has grown the record wheat production the government is struggling to manage the stock, even the production of jute bags are too short for the wheat stock and to EGoM to its crisis and they meet over foodgrain storage crisis, thus an easy way for out wheat export next weekEven in the parliament the lawmakers raise their voice asking government to  manage the food grains and supply of adequate jute bags for the farmers,markets and FCI.
Media reports,To ease food grain storage crisis and to decide on export of wheat, an Empowered Group of Ministers, EGOM, headed by Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee is likely to meet next week.The Food Minister K V Thomas on Wednesday said in New Delhi that the government agrees with the recommendations of the Rangarajan panel to handle surplus stocks.A committee, headed by Rangarajan, last week submitted a report to the Prime Minister suggesting offloading of 10 million tonnes of wheat to the families below poverty line, BPL and above poverty line, APL and three million tonnes via open market sale. The panel also suggested export of two million tonnes of wheat from the government godowns. It also favoured giving incentives to private traders for export of one million tonnes as wheat exports at present are unviable.

 The government has organised various seminars on PDS system to review but millions of the BPL families and the poorest of poor suffers because of government unable to deliver to the last consumer.
PDS the public distribution system the old way to distribute foods for all has become almost vanished,Super bazaars and markets run the government has been closed for private retailers to grow in monopolistic style.New brands have emerge but those selling at less than the printed cost price are doing roaring business in big and smaller cities.
Hoarders,wholesalers,warehouse black marketers are doing illegal trading,retail shops business making big gains.  
Even left parties said Food Security Bill does not serve the purpose of ensuring food security for all citizens.

In this context the Left parties on Wednesday announced a month-long agitation programme to press for ensuring a universal Public Distribution System which will culminate in a five-day dharna in the capital in July-August.The decision in this regard was taken at a meeting of the Left parties attended by CPI(M)'s Prakash Karat, Sitaram Yechury and S Ramachandran Pillai, CPI's A B Bardhan, Sudhakar Reddy and D Raja, RSP's T J Chandrachoodan and Abani Roy and Forward Bloc's Debabrata Biswas and G Devarajan."The Left parties discussed and finalized the campaign to be organised on the Food Security Bill and the movements to be launched for ensuring a universal Public Distribution System," Biswas told reporters after the meeting.

"The Left parties will conduct a month long campaign from the grassroot level in all the states in July. This will be followed by a continuous dharna during the monsoon session of Parliament from July 30 to August 3, 2012 in New Delhi in which thousands of people will participate," he said. This dharna will see the participation of the national leaders of the Left parties..