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Publish Date : 20-Nov-2015

Given the challenges faced in pulses procurement aiming to create a buffer stock, an inter-ministerial group (IMG) monitoring prices of essential commodities has announced it will make changes in the quality norms, which would help agencies like farmers' cooperative Nafed, Food Corporation of India (FCI) and Small Farmers Agribusiness Consortium (SFAC) in stepping up procurement of lentils from farmers.

The IMG, which is comprised of officials including from the ministries of food, consumer affairs and agriculture, has decided to make changes in the quality norm for the purchase of pulses so that these agencies could buy about 1 lakh tonne of pulses for the buffer stocks in the current year.

The decision would see the agencies following norm decided under the Fair Average Quality (FAQ) related to foreign matter permissible, percentage of broken matter, etc. for the procurement of pulses from the farmers.

Nafed was finding it hard to buy pulses from farmers to create a buffer stock because of stringent Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) quality norms.

The food ministry said, "The issue of quality specifications was resolved and the procurement of essential commodities is expected to pick up in the coming weeks. With the new arrivals, the situation is expected to further improve."

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