Union Minister Piyush Goyal has said that Food Corporation of India and state agencies are all set to procure a record quantity of 742 Lakh Metric tonnes of paddy during the ongoing Kharif season as against 627 Lakh Metric Tonnes last year.
Briefing the media in New Delhi, Mr Goyal said, the number of purchase centres for Kharif 2020-21 have also been increased from 30 thousand 7 hundred nine to 39 thousand 1 hundred 22. He said, the procurement season was advanced to 26th September in view of the early arrival of paddy in the market.
Goyal said, production of pulses has gone up in the last five years due to the relentless efforts of the Narendra Modi government and introduction of support prices. He said, Government is working on a twin track, to increase domestic production and ensure that the consumers get the pulses at the right price. The Minister said Moong, Urad and Tur Dal have been supplied from buffer stocks to States and Union Territories.
Two Lakh Metric Tonne of Tur is to be disposed of from the buffer stock through open market sale in the next 15 Days.He said, there is no shortage of food grains throughout the country despite the lockdown. Goyal said, in the COVID period Government ensured food for everyone through the length and breadth of the country.
The Minister said, through the Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Yojana, food was given to nearly 80 crore people. He said, under Atma Nirbhar Bharat, every single product has been identified where there is a need to increase domestic production to make sure. Goyal said, oil seeds is a focused area for the Government and it is also looking at increasing palm oil production in India through large scale palm cultivation. He added that the Government is also looking at promoting sunflower and mustard oil.
