Food grain reserve sought in Madhya Pradesh

BHOPAL - Faced with surplus wheat production and lack of storage space, the Madhya Pradesh government has sought the central government’s assistance to develop a strategic grain reserve in the state, official sources said Sunday.

In a letter written to Agriculture Minister Sharad Pawar Saturday, Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan said record rabi production has not only put extra pressure on procurement and storage agencies purchasing wheat on minimum support prices but also led to shortage of space for the storage of food grain.

He said the central location of Madhya Pradesh makes it the ideal place for National Food Grain Strategic Reserve in the country. He urged that all necessary help be provided to the state for developing it.

Reminding about the agreement between the central and state governments which envisages depositing surplus procured wheat in the central pool, Chouhan said the union food and civil supplies ministry and the Food Corporation of India should accept surplus wheat without delay.

The chief minister said that since there was shortage of space to store the wheat procured in large quantity in Madhya Pradesh, it was necessary to send the surplus wheat to other states through the central pool.