VIJAYAWADA: The Food Corporation of India (FCI) procured 56.46 lakh metric tonnes of rice from the State this year (till October) as against 55.36 lakh MTs last year, said FCI-Amaravati regional manager Amaresh Kumar. He added 0.13 lakh MTs more would be procured from the State in the remainder of this year.
Addressing a press conference here on Wednesday, Kumar said the Centre’s policy of procurement of food grains has broad objectives, which include ensuring MSP to farmers and availability of food grains to the weaker sections at affordable prices.
The total pan-India rice procurement in 2020-21, so far, by the FCI stood at 600 lakh MTs. The FCI and the State government have 5.01 lakh MTs and 11.91 lakh MTs of rice as on date. For the State, the monthly allocation under PMGKY is 1.34 lakh MTs, with a financial outgo of Rs 496 crore, he informed.
The State has distributed a total of 20.11 lakh MTs of rice under PMGKY. The FCI-AP Region has moved 22.31 LMTs of food grains by railways since March 2020 for supplying food grains under NFSAJOWS.
“In AP, fortified rice has been distributed to 17 lakh children under Mid-Day Meals Scheme in 2021-2022.”