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Informist, Friday, May 30, 2025
By Pallavi Singhal
NEW DELHI – The government has officially begun work on reviewing norms for buffer stocks of wheat and rice for the public distribution system and welfare schemes, a senior government official told Informist. The first meeting of a committee on this matter was held about two weeks ago, the official said.
According to current norms, the minimum quantity of grains available with the government should be 21.04 million tonnes of wheat and rice on Apr. 1, 41.12 million tonnes on Jul. 1, 30.77 million tonnes on Oct. 1, and 21.41 million tonnes on Jan. 1.
An anticipated rise in demand, increasing market volatility due to climate change, and safe storage space in case of war are the primary factors the reviewing committee will consider, the official said. "There is a significant need for our storage capacities to be increased. A crucial point of discussion during the meeting was what happens in case of war - we need to have our silos moved from Punjab because of its geographic location," the official said.
The discussions follow hostilities between India and Pakistan, after the terror attack in Pahalgam in Kashmir on Apr. 22.
The buffer stock norms are aimed at ensuring grain supply for the targeted public distribution system, food security during periods of production declines, and stability in prices in case of a production shortfall through open market sales.
The last such revision was in 2015.
"While it had taken seven-eight years for the government to update the buffer norm last time, it seems we will be able to get it done sooner this time. We estimate that once the committee chairman is designated, the process should ideally not take more than a year," the official said. End
Edited by Avishek Dutta
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