E-Paper
Private companies purchase 9.5 lakh tonne wheat from Punjab
Other than ITC, RB Agro, JUB Agro Foods and Anshul Corporation are among food companies in process of lifting wheat from godowns in Punjab
Multinational companies selling wheat and wheat flour in the open retail market have purchased at least 9.5 lakh tonnes of the crop from Punjab through an open auction conducted by the Food Corporation of India (FCI) under the open market sale scheme.
This has helped in fast outflow of the grain stocks from the state godowns, which during the past years were piling up, causing concern to the Punjab government and central agencies.
Due to the Covid-19 pandemic, there was an increase in the sale of basic food products, particularly wheat flour, leading to shortage of the raw material. The FCI had organised auctions in October and November last year and the stock movement continues even now.
Other than the ITC, RB Agro, JUB Agro Foods and Anshul Corporation are among the food companies from across the country that are in the process of lifting wheat from godowns in Punjab. Around 340 rakes (goods trains) carrying wheat have moved out of the state and 105 more will move out in the coming weeks before the start of wheat procurement from April 1. Each rake carries at least 2,650 tonnes of wheat stock.
“During the past three months, the companies have already transported more than two-thirds of the total volume of the grain booked by them,” said an officer of the state food and civil supplies department, adding that it has been after a gap of six years that the godowns have been cleared of the stocks to the level that just 33 lakh tonnes were left in the stock pile. Out of this, private companies will take away 3.5 lakh tonnes.
Negligible stocks in open plinths
Due to fast movement of wheat stocks, there are negligible stocks left in the covered area plinths (CAP) storage, which last year during the corresponding time was 60 lakh tonnes. The CAP is wheat storage points in the open covered with tarpaulin.
“The fast movement is in the benefit of Punjab. We have been saved from problem of wheat rotting due to longer storage time, but now entire stocks have been cleared,” said Arshdeep Thind, the FCI’s regional head in Punjab. Open plinths have a total storage capacity of 75 lakh tonnes, and in the past stocks up to 110 lakh tonnes were piled due to slow movement.
In May last year, godowns meant for food grain were full to the brim and the wheat procured during the rabi season was lying in the open, vulnerable to the vagaries of weather. The state then had all-time high stocks of 290 lakh tonnes (180 lakh tonnes wheat and 110 lakh tonnes rice) — for the three seasons of 2019, 2020 and 2021.
