, under the Ministry of Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution){kind=link}
The Department of Food and Public Distribution (DFPD), under the Ministry of Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution, organized a meeting of State Food Secretaries on Wednesday (February 28) in New Delhi to discuss procurement arrangements for Rabi Crops in Rabi Marketing Season (RMS) 2024-25 and Kharif Marketing Season (KMS) 2023-24.
Various factors affecting procurement, including weather forecasts, production estimates, and states’ readiness, were reviewed. Estimates for wheat procurement during RMS 2024-25 were set in the range of 300-320 LMT, while estimates for paddy procurement in terms of rice during KMS 2023-24 (Rabi Crop) were set between 90 – 100 LMT.
Additionally, approximately 6.00 LMT of coarse grains /millets (Shri Anna) were estimated for procurement by states during KMS 2023-24 (Rabi crop). States/UTs were encouraged to prioritize millet procurement to diversify crops and enhance nutrition in dietary patterns.
During the meeting, the State Government of Telangana shared environmentally friendly practices in Supply Chain Optimization, highlighting an annual savings of Rs 16 Crore. Similarly, the Government of Uttar Pradesh shared successful initiatives, including linking e-PoS with electronic weighing scales to ensure accurate food grain supply to beneficiaries.
The Ministry of Agriculture & Farmers Welfare presented an evaluation study on the Digital Maturity of State MSP procurement applications, advising states to align or improve their existing applications with standard features of the AgriStack portal for transparency and efficiency in procurement systems.
Issues regarding Supply Chain Optimization for food grain transportation, infrastructure improvement in Procurement Centers, Good Milling Practices, and onboarding Fair Price Shops on the Open Network for Digital Commerce (ONDC) were also discussed during the meeting.