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The total foodgrains stock in the Central Pool of FCI (Food Corporation of India) was 21.7 million tonnes as on January 1, 2005, as against the buffer norm of the 16.8 million tonnes. This has been stated in the Economic Survey for the year 2004-05, presented in the Parliament today.
The Survey further states that with a comfortable buffer of foodgrain stocks, pressure on food management is minimal. Furthermore, with buoyant performance of non-foodgrains agriculture (such as cotton, fruits and vegetables and dairy), the agriculture and allied sector is expected to grow by 1.1 per cent in the current year. Not only has the share of foodgrains in agriculture declined, but the share of agriculture in GDP has also gone down by as much as 3.5 percentage points since 2001-02.
Stating that the National Common Minimum Programme (NCMP) of the Government pledges that all subsidies will be targeted sharply to the poor and the truly needy, the Survey points out that food subsidies grew steeply at annual rates between 28 per cent and 45 per cent during the period 2000-01 and 2002-03.
But, attainment of self-sufficiency in foodgrains production and reduction in the proportion of people belonging to the BPL (Below poverty line) category should actually lead to decline in the levels of food subsidy. There is also unanimity that the targeting of food subsidy leaves a lot of scope for improvement, it notes.
HB/AKS/CP
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