Can’t limit grain procurement, govt tells SC

The union agriculture and civil supplies ministry on Monday told the Supreme Court that its suggestion on limiting food procurement to available storage facilities, if put to action, would hit poor farmers and ''drastically impact the food security of the nation''.

In a 19-page affidavit, C Vishwanath, joint secretary in the ministry, said: ''If the Food Corporation of India (FCI) and state government agencies that do the work of procurement were to limit procurement only to the extent of their storage capacities, it would mean that in years of peak production, when markets are not very favourable, many farmers may not be able to sell their produce, and would be left at the mercy of traders, who may not pay adequate prices.''

The government said this would force it to go back on the assurance to farmers that ''whatever quantities of foodgrain they wish to sell to the government at minimum support prices would be purchased by the FCI and the state agencies'' provided quality specifications are met.

The government also assured the Supreme Court that it had no intention of having ''any confrontation'' with it on the issue of distribution of foodgrain to the poor in the country, and blamed media reports for the confusion.

Additional solicitor general Mohan Parasaran gave a detailed statement to a bench comprising Justices Dalveer Bhandari and Deepak Verma, which graphically described the steps taken by the centre. The judges were satisfied with the ''great gesture'' of the government and recorded their appreciation for the efforts.

However, the court is not leaving everything to the governments at the centre and the states / union territories. It will continue to monitor the distribution of foodgrain.