Bihar coop caught storing wheat for private player, Centre seeks action
Bihar’s food procurement faces challenges as officials find private wheat in PACS during surprise visit. Ministry urges state action to ensure farmers receive MSP.
NEW DELHI: When it comes to food procurement, Bihar has been a laggard for years, with the state govt itself not taking sufficient measures to boost purchase of grains from farmers, prompting them to sell below the minimum support price.
On a recent visit to the state, top officials from the food and consumer affairs ministry themselves had a first-hand glimpse of the dire situation, where primary agricultural credit societies have been entrusted with the task of procurement.
A surprise visit by the officials to a PACS in Buxar revealed wheat unofficially procured from private players — and not for govt. Taking it as a test case, the ministry has now asked the state govt to initiate action against the PACS since these entities can’t procure for or keep stocks of
private players.
“The state govt has been asked to take action against such entities. Govt has been trying hard to increase
procurement from farmers to ensure they get the assured MSP,” an official told TOI
