The Food Corporation of India may not have a romantic-sounding name, but it’s a vital link in ensuring the continued health of our farmers, points out FCI General Manager A K Verma, who has engineered a visible growth in grain procurement in Bihar since he took over the reins in February 2003.
Juggling between 127 procurement centres and 48 granaries is no easy task. The FCI, being a Central agency, coordinates with the Bihar Government and PACs or Primary Agricultural Cooperatives. It procures wheat and rice at the Minimum Sale price fixed by the government every year.
Juggling between 127 procurement centres and 48 granaries is no easy task. The FCI, being a Central agency, coordinates with the Bihar Government and PACs or Primary Agricultural Cooperatives. It procures wheat and rice at the Minimum Sale price fixed by the government every year.
It also ensures that the grains are moved to the public distribution system, as well as the various government schemes. It’s a tricky business, explains Verma, given that the godowns are limited.
The stock has to move from the warehouses to the people to make place for more procurement.
Getting procurement figures up from around 24 thousand tons to 1,64,000 in his first year was no sedate desk job. It was a challenge. Staff had to be motivated.
Getting procurement figures up from around 24 thousand tons to 1,64,000 in his first year was no sedate desk job. It was a challenge. Staff had to be motivated.
“Actually, there’s never a dull moment. Think of this. When our FCI personnel move into the field, they are upsetting the cart of some vested interest or the other. A powerful goonda may have the monopoly and the poor farmers have no option but to pay him at whatever low rate he offers. Now when we offer a better price, the fellow’s monopoly is threatened. So what does he do? He will obviously put some pressure on our man in the field. Who wants to go to a remote location to get killed or kidnapped?"
Ensuring continuing and consistent backup from the state law and order machinery for the man on the field is an important task. Today, with excellent coordination between FCI personnel and the District administration, vested interests by and large have been thwarted, says Verma. In times of crisis, such as a flood or an earthquake, FCI takes a direct role in ensuring that rice or wheat reaches the affected populations in tandem with the state government.
Farmers are the gainers when they sell to FCI, because the payment is immediate, and there is no red tape. “After all, we are working in the interest of the cultivators so that they get a stable price,” says Verma. When there is a glut of grains in the state and the prices fall so low that farmers find it impossible to recover even their invested capital, the FCI has to step in and do whatever it can within reasonable limits to give them a fair deal.
Ensuring continuing and consistent backup from the state law and order machinery for the man on the field is an important task. Today, with excellent coordination between FCI personnel and the District administration, vested interests by and large have been thwarted, says Verma. In times of crisis, such as a flood or an earthquake, FCI takes a direct role in ensuring that rice or wheat reaches the affected populations in tandem with the state government.
Farmers are the gainers when they sell to FCI, because the payment is immediate, and there is no red tape. “After all, we are working in the interest of the cultivators so that they get a stable price,” says Verma. When there is a glut of grains in the state and the prices fall so low that farmers find it impossible to recover even their invested capital, the FCI has to step in and do whatever it can within reasonable limits to give them a fair deal.
No comments:
Post a Comment