India Has Enough Wheat for PDS & Market Intervention: Food Secy

Panaji (Goa), Mar 3 (PTI) Union Food Secretary Sanjeev Chopra on Monday said the government has sufficient wheat stock to meet the requirement of welfare schemes and for market interventions to keep prices under check.

He said the Centre has offloaded 30 lakh tonnes of wheat to flour millers and processors this fiscal year under the open market sale scheme (OMSS) and stressed that benefits should be passed on to consumers.

In a written message read at a conference organised by Roller Flour Millers' Federation of India (RFMFI), Chopra said the Centre is committed to ensuring food security for every citizen of India through initiatives such as efficient procurement of foodgrains, safe storage, and timely distribution under the Targeted Public Distribution Scheme (TPDS)/Other Welfare Schemes (OWS).

"Government has sufficient stocks of wheat to meet own requirements and also for necessary market interventions. This year government has offloaded 30 lakh tonnes of wheat to processors/millers through OMSS(D)," he said.

India produced a record 1,132 lakh tonnes of wheat in 2023-24 crop year (July-June). The government expects a bumper crop in 2024-25 as well on the back of higher acreage.

Chopra said the Centre is also implementing an ambitious silo construction programme to ensure bulk storage and movement of wheat.

This will assist in dispersed storage and efficiency in logistics, he added.

"Ensuring food security and self-reliance in wheat production is a key government priority, and the milling industry plays a vital role in this effort," he said, and added that the Federation's market insights has helped in framing policies and strategic planning.

The Roller Flour Millers' Federation of India has been a valued partner in addressing industry challenges and working closely with the Government to ensure smooth supply chains, the secretary said.

"The Federation must maintain oversight over its members to ensure that the benefits of OMSS conducted by FCI reach the consumer and inflationary tendencies are curbed," he said.

More than 600 delegates are participating in a global conference organised by the federation, which has 1800 direct and indirect members.