"I am going to take a decision tomorrow to enter in open market because I have kept about six million tons exclusively (for this purpose)," Agriculture and Food Minister Sharad Pawar said on the sidelines of the Indian Council of Agricultural Research foundation day function here.
Pawar pointed out that wheat prices have increased marginally in some pockets.
"We will see the centre where the price is going up and we will offload wheat (there)," he said, adding the government could sell up to six million tonnes in the open market.
"Our buffer norms are 45 lakh tonnes. In buffer stock, I have kept 55 lakh tonnes, that is 10 lakh tonnes more. Then I have kept three million tonnes as a strategic reserve and three million tonnes just to enter the open market," Pawar said.
The government could utilise strategic reserve for open market sale, he said, adding "so, the scope is for six million tonnes (for open market sale)".
On rice, Pawar said the procurement has reached about 264 lakh tonnes so far and 12 lakh tonnes have been procured by states on behalf of the Centre, which has not been transferred to the Central pool yet.
The minister said the rice procurement target of 270 lakh tonnes would be met when states would transfer procured stock.
"We expect another one million tonnes of procurement in next one and half months," he said, adding rice procurement would surely reach 275 lakh tonnes.
