COVID-19: FCI ramps up food grain supplies across the country amid lockdown

New Delhi: Food Corporation of India (FCI) is ensuring an uninterrupted supply of wheat and rice throughout the country during the lockdown period. FCI is fully prepared to meet not only the food grain requirement under the National Food Security Act (NFSA) @5 KG/Month/Beneficiary but also any additional demand including the supply of 5Kg/Person for the next 3 months to 81.35 Crore people under PM Garib Kalyan Ann Yojana. As of 31st March, FCI has 56.75 Million MT (MMT) of Food Grains (30.7 MMT Rice and 26.06 MMT Wheat).

Even in this challenging operational environment, FCI is able to meet the increasing demand of food grains by gearing up the pace of supply of wheat and rice throughout the country mostly by Rail. A total of 53 Rakes are being loaded on 1st April carrying about 1.48 Lakh Metric Tonnes (LMT) food grain stock. Since the day of lockdown on 24th March, FCI has moved 352 rakes carrying an approximate quantity of 9.86 LMT.

FCI is conducting e-auction under Open Market Sales Scheme (OMSS) for providing Wheat to the empaneled roller flour mills/State Government to ease the supply constraint in the market. In the last e-auction held on 31st March, bids for 1.44 LMT wheat have been received.

In view of outbreak of COVID-19, apart from regular e-auction, District Magistrates/Collectors have been authorized to lift directly from FCI depots at OMSS reserve price to cater to the needs of Roller Flour Mills and other wheat product manufactures. Till now, 79027 MT Wheat has been allotted in the following states through this route:

Further, e-auction for rice is also conducted. In the last e-auction on 31st March bids for 77000 MT rice have been received from the state of Telangana, Tamil Nadu, J&K etc.

In addition, considering the emergent situation, States have been allowed to take rice under OMSS @ Rs. 22.50/kg without participating in E-auction to meet any requirement over and above the NFSA allotment and additional allocation done under PM Garib Kalyan Yojana Allocation. So far, 93387 Metric Tonnes (MT) Rice has been allotted to the following 6 states as per their requests: