CHANDIGARH — Punjab favors formation of wheat zones and payment of wheat bonus to Jarmers to ensure maximization of procurement during the ensuing rabi marketing season.
Although the Centre is expected to formally discuss the new rabi procurement policy with the wheat producing States sometime in February, Punjab has reportedly given its views on the issue at official level discussions in Delhi this week when it was asked to maximize wheat procurement during the ensuing season.
Punjab, the biggest contributor of wheat and rice to the Central poll, feels that it is imperative to modify the present wheat procurement policy to achieve the objective. The Centre is worried
over the low levels of wheat and rice procurement in the past two seasons, first because of the drought and then due to the natural calamity which adversely affected the crop in Punjab and Haryana. Increased off take of the two commodities further depleted the Central buffer.
To overcome the situation, the Centre is planning a new strategy with the dual purpose of maximizing production and procurement of wheat and rice in the next two or three years and providing technology package for coarse rice with the necessary pricing and procurement policy which should make available more coarse rice for the Central pool.
To discuss the new strategy, the Centre has called a meeting of the secretaries of agriculture and cooperatives of the States in Delhi on January 5. In a communication to the States, the Centre has stated that the situation was a matter of concern from food security point of view and urgently needs remedial measures.
The Punjab Government apparently feels that the present wheat procurement policy needs change in view of the experience of the last. Two years. Although Punjab had bumper wheat crops in the last two years, the arrivals and procurement witnessed a sharp fall. The setback in the previous year was caused due to the untimely rains and storms which destroyed a large portion of the crop. As a result, arrivals came down from about 68 lakh tone two years ago to over 49 lakh tone and the procurement by the State agencies from 64.80 lakh tone to about 44 Jakh tone.
Article extracted from this publication >> January 20, 1989
