The Centre will procure about 10 lakh tonnes of rice in the next 3-4 weeks, Agriculture and Food Minister Sharad Pawar today said.
"We have procured 264 lakh tonnes of rice in 2007-08 season, compared to 258 lakh tonnes last season," Pawar said on the sidelines of a function here.
The minister's comment assumes significance in view of the apprehension that the Centre may not be able to procure the targetted 276 lakh tonnes of rice this year.
Government officials said the target has been reduced to 270 lakh tonnes because of low procurement and they hope that the Centre would be able to reach that level in the next two months when rice procurement season comes to an end in September.
Even, Pawar admitted that there are problems in Punjab, Andhra Pradesh, Kerala, Chhattisgarh and Orissa, which have not been able to purchase the rice as fixed at the beginning of the procurement season.
"In Punjab, there is about half a million tons, which the state government has assured that it would procure... Punjab is not the only state," he said, adding there is a little shortfall in Andhra Pradesh, Kerala, Chhattisgarh and Orissa.
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The officials admitted it is a matter of concern that the Centre has not been able to procure enough rice despite the country producing a record 96.43 MT of the grain and imposing a ban on non-basmati exports.
Meanwhile, Pawar expressed hope that there would be good crops this year.
"There were deficient rains. But the situation has improved in last 8-10 days and the trend is encouraging," the minister said.