The Centre has asked Food Corporation of India (FCI) to procure PAU-201 paddy that conforms with its specifications and dispose of the rest in the open market through tenders.
A decision on whether the PAU-201 paddy variety is fit for human consumption was raised at a high-level meeting between Agriculture Minister Sharad Pawar and Health Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad, recently.
FCI officials in Punjab are giving final touches to the modalities to execute the recommendations of the central government. The Ministry of Consumer Affairs had earlier indicated that if the stock did not conform with FCI specifications it would be sold through open tenders.
The difference between the cost of procurement and the selling price of rice would be borne by the state and the central government in equal proportion.
This season, farmers were asked not to sow the PAU 201 variety following complaints of damaged rice grains, discolouration and pin damage (a black spot on the grain). The PAU 201 was developed by the Punjab Agriculture University in Ludhiana and was recommended for mass use because it was a short-duration variety and absorbed less water. Sources in the Punjab Food and Supplies Department said over two million tonnes of last year’s stock was lying in the rice mills. With the harvesting season of kharif round the corner, the state agencies are trying to use the existing stock at the earliest.
The president of Punjab Rice Millers Association Tarsem Saini said they would need five months to process the paddy stock of 2009-10 at the current pace. The stock is scattered across the state in over 3,000 mills and it will be an uphill task for FCI to assess the stock.
The procurement of paddy for the 2010-11 harvest will begin on October 1.