SC order on grain will impact food security, argues Centre

Hours after Prime Minister Manmohan Singh asked the Supreme Court not to get into ?the realm of policy formulation?, the Union food ministry said the court suggestion to limit food procurement to the extent of available storage facilities, if put to action, would hit the poor farmer and ?drastically impact the food security of the nation?.

In a 19-page affidavit filed in the Supreme Court, C Vishwanath, joint secretary in the ministry, said: ?If Food Corporation of India (FCI) and the 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 the years of peak procurements, when the markets are not very favourable, many farmers may not be able to sell their produce to these agencies and they would be left entirely at the mercy of traders who may not pay adequate prices.?

To make the court see the flip side of its suggestion on linking food procurement to storage facilities, the government said this would force it to go back on the assurance to ?every farmer that whatever quantities of food grains they wish to sell to the government at minimum support prices would be purchased by the FCI and the state agencies, provided it meets quality specifications?.

?Absence of adequate returns or an assured guarantee from the government procurement agencies for purchase of food grains will dis-incentivise farmers from sowing these crops in future?. The affidavit went on to explain how the court?s suggestion would cause a ?substantial shift to other non-food crops? in the agricultural scene. ?This would then drastically impact the food security of the nation,? the ministry said.

It would be best, the government said, ?with a view to protecting the interests of farmers and thereby ensuring that food security of the country is not adversely impacted?, to augment ?production and procurement? rather than limit food purchase to storage space.

Procurement has gone up from 36.2 million tonne in 2006-07 to 53.77 million tonne as on September 4, 2010, the affidavit stated.

The Bench of Justices Dalveer Bhandari and Deepak Verma said it was ?very happy to note the government?s comprehensive affidavit?. It asked senior advocate Colin Gonsalves to file a reply within a week. The case is posted for September 24.

The ministry refused to agree with another SC suggestion to ?abolish? Above Poverty Line (APL) consumers from the Targeted Public Distribution System (TPDS) to give surplus food to their BPL and AAY (Antyodaya Anna Yojana) counterparts.

?A food security law is under consideration of the government. In the light of the existing stock position, allocations for BPL/AAY categories under the TPDS are not likely to be impacted by allocations to APL,? the government countered. It said TPDS allocation to APL is even ?essential? to meet food security requirements in food-deficit and food-insecure states and areas.

Besides, the government today declared its decision to push in, on an ad hoc basis, an additional quantity of 25 lakh tonne of wheat/rice at BPL prices for the next six months. The allocation will start in a week, additional solicitor general Mohan Parasaran told the court.

The government said AAY households include the ?poorest-of-poor? and the scheme has been extended thrice from 2003 to 2005 to cover 2.5 crore BPL households?from potters to snake charmers to the terminally-ill to single women to primitive tribal households.

The June 3, 2009, extension of the scheme, the ministry said, includes ?all eligible BPL families of HIV positive persons?.

To the court?s suggestion that SC/STs should be part of AAY guidelines, the Ministry said: ?AAY is meant to serve the poorest of the poor families and does not include community-based identification of families?.

To the court?s view that 150 of the poorest districts in the country be allocated 35 kg of food grains at Rs 3 per kg, the ministry said the National Advisory Council has so far not mentioned any criteria for identification of the ?most disadvantaged districts?.

On the court directive to warn fake ration cardholders to surrender them, the Ministry said that 174.59 lakh bogus or ineligible ration cards have been deleted by the states/UTs as per information on July 31, 2010.