With state-owned FCI facing shortage of jute bags, Food Minister Ram Vilas Paswan on Friday said the government has allowed packaging of foodgrains in used gunny sacks and plastic bags during the ongoing procurement season.
Paswan said the ministry has constituted a task force to assess the situation arising out of shortage of jute bags/bales for packaging of foodgrains amid the COVID-19 lockdown.
He said the ministry has relaxed guidelines for packaging of foodgrains in used gunny bags and HDPE /PPE bags (commonly known as plastic bags) for packaging of foodgrains, especially wheat.
Paswan said the majority of the supply of jute bags comes from West Bengal.
The Food Corporation of India (FCI) is the government's nodal agency for procurement and distribution of foodgrains. The foodgrains are procured from farmers at minimum support price (MSP).
At present, the FCI is procuring wheat and paddy grown in the rabi (winter-sown) season.
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Meanwhile, the government has bought 18 per cent less wheat so far in the rabi marketing season at 226.85 lakh tonnes as the procurement process started late because of lockdown.
Paswan said the procurement process is on track and assured that the government has sufficient foodgrains in buffer stock to meet the increased demand.
"As on May 8, cumulative procurement of wheat in rabi marketing season (RMS) 2020-21 is 226.85 lakh tonnes whereas corresponding procurement during RMS 2019-20 was 277.83 lakh tonnes.
"Therefore, procurement of wheat in the current season is less by 18.35 per cent than the previous season in the corresponding period," Paswan told reporters here.
The cumulative procurement of paddy, as on May 6, in terms of rice in Kharif Marketing Season (KMS) 2019-20 is 439.02 lakh tonnes as against 398.13 lakh tonnes in the corresponding period of the previous year.
"The procurement of wheat and paddy/rice during RMS 2020-21 normally commences on April 1. But due to COVID-19 situation, most of the states could commence their procurement operations around April 15," Paswan said