Offtake from the Public Distribution System is stagnating although there are millions who need more food.
Cereal stocks of wheat, rice and coarse grains maintained in the so-called central pool hit an all-time high of 742 lakh tonnes in July this year and in August were only slightly lower at 713 lakh tonnes, according to the department of food and public distribution’s monthly bulletin.
Compared with 2015, grains stocks have zoomed up by an astounding 36% [see chart below]. July and August are the months when foodgrain stocks are at the highest every year as the procured wheat accumulates after the Rabi harvest, adding to the existing rice stocks.
These high levels of stocks, driven by increased production and procurement, betray a macabre irony because the country continues to suffer from mass deprivation of food, thousands remain outside the limited public distribution system and nutritional levels continue to remain alarmingly low. It also has a connection with the ongoing economic slowdown – accumulated stocks of foodgrains reflect the declining ability of people to purchase what they need.
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