Reserve price of wheat, rice and coarse grains sold under OMSS fixed
10-Jul-2024 05:21 PM
New Delhi. The Central Food and Public Distribution Department has fixed the reserve price of wheat, rice and coarse grains of government stock to be sold under the Open Market Sale Scheme (OMSS) for the year 2024-25, which will be effective from 1 August 2024 to 31 March 2025 for wheat, from 1 August 2024 to 31 March 2025 for rice and from 1 July 2024 to 31 March 2025 for coarse grains. This reserve price will not include freight charges.
According to a circular issued by the Food Ministry, the reserve price of wheat for all crop years (including 2024-25) to private parties through weekly e-auction has been fixed at Rs 2325 per quintal for General Average Quality (FAQ) and Rs 2300 per quintal for URS category.
Similarly, the reserve price of wheat has been fixed at Rs 2300 per quintal for government agencies (NAFED, NCCF and Kendriya Bhandar) involved in retail sale of Bharat Brand flour and Rs 2300 per quintal for those running community kitchens.
This reserve price is higher than the minimum support price of wheat of Rs 2275 per quintal.
According to the circular, the quantity of wheat to be put up for e-auction and the time period of auction will be decided by Food Corporation of India (FCI) in consultation with the Department of Food and Public Distribution.
As far as rice is concerned, its reserve price has generally been fixed at Rs 2800 per quintal, but it will be made available to government agencies and community kitchen operators at the rate of Rs 2400 per quintal. This does not include freight charges.
One special thing is that this time the state governments have also been allowed to lift rice from the central pool at the rate of Rs 2800 per quintal and for this they do not need to participate in the weekly e-auction. States can lift it directly from the Food Corporation's warehouse.
This time coarse grains have also been included for sale under OMSS. Under this, the reserve price of millet has been fixed at Rs 2500 per quintal, ragi at Rs 3846 per quintal, sorghum at Rs 3180 per quintal and maize at Rs 2090 per quintal. In this also, freight will have to be paid separately.