Wheat Stock

"Wheat procurement is progressing smoothly," a senior food ministry official told PTI

Stock in central pool was 24.4% more than buffer requirement as on January 1; prices at record high of Rs 31-32/kg

According to government estimates, wheat output fell to 106.84 million tonnes in 2022 from 109.59 million tonnes a year earlier

If PMGKAY was continued beyond December 2022, at least Rs 40,000 crore would have got spent for three months (Jan to March)

Wheat prices have surged in India this year after a sudden rise in temperatures hit crop yields and output

Government says stock adequate to meet all PDS and PMGKAY needs

India's stockpile of wheat was above the buffer stock norm at the last scheduled count on October 1 and the next such quarterly review which takes into account seasonal procurement cycle, will be due on January 1. According to a written reply to a question in Rajya Sabha by Food and Consumer Affairs Minister Piyush Goyal, the minimum buffer requirement changes every quarter, peaking on July 1 when procurement of Rabi crop ends. It dips to the lowest on April 1 as accumulated stocks get released for beneficiaries of government schemes ahead of the new crop coming in. As per the reply, India's wheat stock was 227.46 lakh tonnes on October 1, 2022, as compared to the buffer norm of 205.20 lakh tonnes. The stockpile has since dwindled to 190.27 lakh tonnes as on December 1, 2022, primarily due to the release of foodgrain for supply to poor beneficiaries while hardly any procurement was added to the stockpile. At the next count on January 1, the buffer requirement of wheat is 138 lakh

Wheat stocks in India's government warehouses will fall by about 13% by early next month from current levels but will be sufficient for welfare schemes of the country

Usually wheat is sown in around 30.5 million hectares of which so far around 15.28 million is already sown

Centre refutes the assertion of artificial shortage of fertilisers in country

Wheat inventories at government-run granaries stood at 22.7 million tonnes on Oct 1

The government and fertiliser company officials have said nutrient supplies are adequate

Food Secretary Sudhanshu Pandey has directed Bihar government to complete the construction of wheat and rice silo in Buxar by the end of December. Pandey, who was on a visit to Bhojpur and Buxar districts of Bihar on Wednesday, reviewed the progress of implementation of lifting and distribution of foodgrains under the National Food Security Act and Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Anna Yojana (PMGKAY), an official statement said. He also reviewed the preparedness of paddy procurement for the upcoming 2022-23 kharif marketing season.

India has defended its decision to ban export of wheat and rice at a WTO meeting even as some member countries have flagged concerns over the country's stand, an official said. At a meeting last week in Geneva, Senegal, the US and the European Union raised questions over this decision, stating it could have adverse implications on global markets. In May, India restricted export of wheat to enhance domestic availability. This month, it also banned export of broken rice and imposed a 20 per cent export duty on non-Basmati rice except for parboiled rice to boost domestic supplies amid a fall in area under paddy crop in the current kharif season. Defending its decision, India clarified that the ban on export of broken rice, which is used in poultry feed, follows a rise in the grain's exports in recent months which put pressure on the domestic market. In the case of wheat, food security concerns necessitated export curbs. India has also stated that the measures are temporary in nature

The government on Monday said there is sufficient wheat stock in the country and that it will take action against hoarders, if needed, to boost domestic supply. The Centre may consider steps like asking for disclosure of wheat stocks by traders and imposing stock limits to augment domestic availability. Addressing the 82nd AGM of Roller Flour Millers Federation of India, Food Secretary Sudhanshu Pandey said there is no problem of wheat in the country and the Centre has 24 million tonne of wheat in godowns of state-owned FCI. The secretary pointed out that wheat prices have gone up due to "speculative trading". Pandey said the government's wheat production forecast is around 105 million tonne in rabi season of 2021-22 crop year (July-June) while the trade estimates are 95-98 million tonne. Even if trade estimates are to be believed, Pandey said the production is enough to meet the domestic demand. The country has exported 4.5 million tonne of wheat so far this fiscal year. Out of

The govt suspended wheat export on May 13, moving all varieties of wheat, including high-protein durum, from 'free' to the 'prohibited' category

Govt's grain stock reduction is a good development

Grain inventory in central pool, as on July 1, 2022, lowest since 2019

UAE's economic ministry cited international developments that have affected trade flows as the reason behind the suspension

Union Minister Kailash Choudhary on Sunday said the Centre had placed a ban on wheat exports to ensure adequate availability of the food grain in the country. The ban was put in place on May 14 in order to control domestic prices amid concern that wheat output may be hit due to a prevailing heatwave. "For us the country is first and our priority is to make available adequate wheat to our citizens, We have banned wheat export so that people don't face shortage," the Union Minister of State for Agriculture and Farmers' Welfare told reporters here. India's wheat exports stood at an all-time high of 7 million tonnes, valued at USD 2.05 billion, in 2021-22, with over 50 per cent being bought by neighbouring Bangladesh. Queried on whether the Centre would provide financial relief to farmers facing losses due to the sudden ban on exports, Choudhary only said the government buys produce at minimum support price. Listing the Narendra Modi government's schemes for the farming sector, Choud