Eight Food Corp. Officers Suspended for Damage to Wheat, Rice Stockpiles
Daily wage laborers separate the husk from wheat grain at a local market in Faridkot, April 19, 2008. Photographer: Sanjit Das/Bloomberg News
India, the second-biggest grower of wheat and rice, suspended eight officials of the Food Corp. of India after some grain stored at the state-owned company was damaged by rains and floods, the farm minister said.
The loss is a result of “dereliction of duty” by Food Corp. officials in proper storage and upkeep of food grains, Minister Sharad Pawar said in a written reply to a question in Parliament today, without quantifying the damage. Food Corp., owned entirely by the government, buys crops from farmers.
More than 11,700 metric tons of wheat and rice worth 68.6 million rupees ($1.5 million) were found damaged, Pawar said in parliament on July 27. Maximum combined losses of the grains in Punjab totaled 7,066 tons, 1,846 tons in West Bengal and 1,457 tons in Gujarat, according to figures submitted by Pawar.
The lack of silos and secure warehouses means state firms often keep the produce in the open, exposing it to rains and pests. The country requires 14 million tons of extra storage capacity to stock wheat and rice, Pawar said July 13, adding that Food Corp. would hire space from private companies this year to accommodate record volumes bought from farmers.
To contact the reporter on this story: Bibhudatta Pradhan in New Delhi at bpradhan@bloomberg.net
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