This year?s bumper crop of wheat has created a problem of plenty not just with regard to procurement but also storage of grains, with several Members of Parliament (MPs) repeatedly raising the shortage of gunny sacks for storage.
The government on Wednesday said that it was ready to meet all political parties on the issue, and thrash out a solution not just with regard to availability of gunny and jute sacks but also long term storage issues. Finance minister Pranab Mukherjee made this assurance during Zero hour in the Lok Sabha.
On increasing storage facility, he said government was supporting creation of storage facilities through its viability fund and by providing concessions in interests. He said external commercial borrowing subject to ceiling was being allowed as interest rates were lower. Mukherjee, however, noted that godowns cannot come up ?tomorrow? an the process will take time.
In a bid to protect grain lying in the open, from rain, contingency arrangements are been made, he said adding that jute bag producing units in West Bengal have been impressed upon increasing their production by 25,000 sacks from the present output of 2.50 lakh sacks per month.
?I hope trade unions won?t go on strike,? he said. ?It is my personal experience that unions go on strike to put pressure at a time when jute sacks are required for procurement.? he added drawing protests from CPI?s Gurudas Dasgupta. To ease pressure on godowns, rural development ministry was exploring food for work scheme for MNREGA but the decision cannot be taken immediately as states have to be consulted as they are the implementing agencies, he said.
He said usually in November, states place their indent for jute sacks with the food ministry which in turn asks the directorate general of supplies and disposals to fulfill the requirements. ?But there were two distortions this year,? Mukherjee said, explaining that Madhya Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh had to procure more grain than it had expected leading to shortage. He said indents of Haryana and Punjab have been completed.
