The State government is forced to consider other options for procuring millets for distribution under the public distribution system (PDS) as it could not meet the requirements from open market.
It is estimated that 30,000 tonnes of jowar and 25,000 tonnes of ragi are needed for distribution under the PDS along with rice every month. However, only around 14,000 tonnes of ragi and hardly any jowar have been procured by the Department of Food and Civil Supplies from open market.
Officials said the offer price of Rs. 1,500 to Rs. 1,800 per quintal for both jowar and ragi had deterred farmers from selling them. The recent hailstorm damaged jowar crop on large tracts of land in north Karnataka. With reduced supply, the price has shot up beyond Rs. 35 a kg, a senior officer said.
“We are committed to providing the foodgrains. We have succeeded in providing parboiled rice in coastal districts and ragi in some south Karnataka districts at least to a small extent,” Harsh Gupta, Commissioner, Food and Civil Supplies, said.
“We are exploring other options for procurement of jowar and other foodgrains,” he said.
According to him, the options include decentralised procurement and distribution, and working with cooperative institutions and farmers’ organisations.
Buying from farmers“The first option is to buy foodgrains from farmers directly at Primary Agriculture Cooperatives (PAC) or Raitha Samparka Kendras (RSK). This will avoid the involvement of intermediary agencies or middlemen. Farmers will get an assured market for what they grow. For us, it will reduce the logistical hassles of centralised procurement from multiple agencies. We could also save on the cost of storage and transport. We also want to experiment with decentralised distribution at the village level, at least in some taluks,” Mr. Gupta said. “We are also inquiring if any cooperatives could help us in this task,” he said.
A pilot project to include minor millets such as bajra and sajje on the list of foodgrains to be supplied is on the cards. “Karnataka Rajya Raitha Sangha units in some districts have volunteered to work with non-governmental organisations such as the Deccan Development Society to help us procure and distribute minor millets. This will involve creating awareness about the nutritional values of these millets and encouraging farmers to grow them and people to consume them. We want to start the pilot project in Heggadadevanakote and Aurad taulks,” he said.
M.S. Sriram, IIMB fellow and visiting faculty, said decentralisation of procurement and distribution was the “best available method”. “It minimises logistics issue and reduces cash exchange points. It, however, needs to be planned in detail. We need to start with a map of what foodgrains are needed in each district. Then, we need to empower the PACs or RSKs to enable to them procure and distribute the foodgrains. Thirdly, the government should devolve financial powers to gram panchayats and enable officials at the village level to take decisions. Long-range planning and effective implementation will ensure success,” he said.
“The government can also look at gradual reduction of physical distribution of grain and increase use of innovative methods such as direct cash transfer or issuing food stamps. These will reduce costs and increase effectiveness of the delivery mechanisms,” Prof. Sriram said.
