The government on Monday said there is sufficient wheat stock in the country and that it will take action against hoarders, if needed, to boost domestic supply. The Centre may consider steps like asking for disclosure of wheat stocks by traders and imposing stock limits to augment domestic availability. Addressing the 82nd AGM of Roller Flour Millers Federation of <keyword id="3658" type="General" weightage="100" keywordseo="india" source="Orion">India</keyword>, Food Secretary <keyword id="7655" type="General" weightage="80" keywordseo="sudhanshu-pandey" source="Orion">Sudhanshu Pandey</keyword> said there is no problem of wheat in the country and the Centre has 24 million tonne of wheat in godowns of state-owned FCI. The secretary pointed out that wheat prices have gone up due to "speculative trading". Pandey said the government's wheat production forecast is around 105 million tonne in rabi season of 2021-22 crop year (July-June) while the trade estimates are 95-98 million tonne. Even if trade estimates are to be believed, Pandey said the production is enough to meet the domestic demand. The country has exported 4.5 million tonne of wheat so far this fiscal year. Out of that, 2.1 million tonne were shipped before imposition of ban on wheat exports on May 13. India exported 7.2 million tonne of wheat in previous fiscal year. "There is no problem of wheat availability within the country. Overall quantity which we need for domestic requirement is available in the country," Pandey asserted. The government will take necessary steps, if needed, to ensure adequate wheat supply in the market, he said. "There has been an impact on prices because of speculative trading," he said, adding people have hoarded wheat in anticipation of further price rise. Pandey pointed out that wheat is coming slowly into the market as speculators are still hoarding in anticipation of price rise. "Our wheat stock position is comfortable. We have 24 million tonne in the central pool," he said. The government is making efforts to raise wheat production in the coming rabi (winter sown) season. "Adequate wheat is available in the country. We will take steps if needed to bring out the grain into the market," Pandey said. To check hoarding and black marketing, the secretary noted that the requirements of disclosure of wheat stocks by traders could be the first stage before imposition of stock limits. India's wheat production is estimated to have declined to 106.84 million tonne in 2021-22 crop year from 109.6 million tonne in the previous year due to heat waves in certain states like <keyword id="6354953" type="General" weightage="80" keywordseo="punjab" source="Orion">Punjab</keyword> and <keyword id="41646" type="General" weightage="80" keywordseo="haryana" source="Orion">Haryana</keyword>. The government's wheat procurement fell drastically to around 19 million tonne in 2022-23 marketing year (April-March) compared with 43 million tonne in the previous year. This forced the Centre to impose ban on wheat exports and also supply more rice instead of wheat through ration shops. SEE ALSO : <a target="_blank" class="c-link c-message_attachment__title_link" href="https://www.businessinsider.in/business/news/gold-falls-303-silver-drops-197/articleshow/94304426.cms">Gold falls ₹303; silver drops ₹197</a> <a target="_blank" class="c-link c-message_attachment__title_link" href="https://www.businessinsider.in/science/health/news/101-fresh-cases-of-dengue-in-delhi-tally-rises-to-396/articleshow/94304334.cms">101 fresh cases of dengue in Delhi, tally rises to 396</a>

Enough wheat stock in India; Govt to take action against hoarders if needed: Food Secy

As the Centre banned <keyword id="13726" type="General" weightage="100" keywordseo="rice" source="Orion">rice</keyword> exports effective from Friday and also levied an export duty of 20 per cent on various grades of the commodity, Food Secretary <keyword id="7655" type="General" weightage="50" keywordseo="sudhanshu-pandey" source="Orion">Sudhanshu Pandey</keyword> said that domestic production could fall short by 10 to 12 million tonnes in the <keyword id="68034" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="kharif-season" source="Orion">Kharif season</keyword>. Pandey told mediapersons on Friday that due to inadequate sowing of paddy, mainly owing to poor rainfall in rice bearing states like <keyword id="6357713" type="General" weightage="50" keywordseo="uttar-pradesh" source="Orion">Uttar Pradesh</keyword>, Bihar and <keyword id="6357783" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="west-bengal" source="Orion">West Bengal</keyword>, there would be a shortfall in production. The government's decision to ban rice exports and impose export duty is aimed at arresting domestic prices and ensuring availability of rice, sources said. At the same time, Pandey claimed that there will be surplus rice production in the country. Poor rain have also led to decrease in paddy acreage in many rice states and is down by 38 lakh hectares, he informed. Rice is also provided to PDS beneficiaries under <keyword id="6524177" type="General" weightage="50" keywordseo="pradhan-mantri" source="Orion">Pradhan Mantri</keyword> Garib Kalyan Anna Yojana. The scheme which started during the Covid pandemic in March 2020 is scheduled to end on September 30. On being asked whether it would be extended beyond September, Pandey refused to comment. SEE ALSO : <a target="_blank" class="c-link c-message_attachment__title_link" href="https://www.businessinsider.in/business/auto/news/dandera-launches-otua-a-3-wheeler-cargo-ev-with-up-to-300-km-range/articleshow/94096815.cms">Dandera launches OTUA, a 3-wheeler cargo EV with up to 300 km range</a> <a target="_blank" class="c-link c-message_attachment__title_link" href="https://www.businessinsider.in/stock-market/news/ranbir-kapoors-brahmastra-wipes-out-over-800-crore-wealth-of-pvr-and-inox-investors/articleshow/94095579.cms">Brahmastra wipes out over ₹800 crore wealth of PVR and Inox investors</a>

Rice production may fall by 10-12 mn tonnes: Food Secretary

<ul><li>The retail prices of wheat flour fell by at least 5% in the last 10 days.</li><li>The wheat prices were expected to come down in a week or so after <keyword id="3658" type="General" weightage="80" keywordseo="india" source="Orion">India</keyword> put a ban on exports.</li><li>However, the Russia-Ukraine war and export bans by various countries is worsening the global food supply chain.</li></ul>The retail prices of wheat flour or atta <a href="https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/economy/indicators/cheaper-rice-atta-bring-relief-amid-inflation/articleshow/91899979.cms">reportedly</a> came down by at least 5% in the last 10 days — bringing relief to inflation-rid Indians. This is a direct effect of the wheat ban that the Indian government put in place on May 14. The global wheat prices had risen by 6% and <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/international/news/not-just-india-many-countries-are-protecting-their-wheat-to-keep-daily-bread-affordable/articleshow/91733019.cms">surged</a> close to a record-high a week after India’s ban. “The government's decision to ban wheat export is expected to cool down the domestic prices in a week or so,” said Sudhanshu Pandey, food secretary, after announcing the ban, as per a PTI report. Pandey assured that the ‘public distribution system’ will run smoothly. The ban intended to bring stability to wheat prices and insulate it against international price movements. India is the second largest producer and ninth biggest exporter of wheat in the world. However, due its large population, most of the produced crop is consumed within the country, leaving little room for exports. As per the government data, India exported 14.6 million tonnes of wheat in the month of April this year. <cmsannotation type="cmsannotation" annotationid="India’s ban creates wheat shortage" comment="subhead" text="India’s ban creates wheat shortage">India’s ban creates wheat shortage</cmsannotation> Atta prices fell significantly across the value chain - at both wholesale and retail markets. An early monsoon also brought in hope of a good crop this year, leading speculators to lower their prices. Apart from the war, export bans by various countries are worsening the global food supply chain. The world has about 10 weeks of wheat supplies stored as Russia's invasion of Ukraine entered its fourth month, according to a report by the <a href="https://media.un.org/en/asset/k10/k10mjpv1u3?kalturaStartTime=2120">United Nations</a> on May 19. Ukraine is considered the <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/international/news/a-food-insecurity-expert-predicts-that-theres-only-10-weeks-of-wheat-supplies-left-in-the-world-as-russian-invasion-disrupts-production/articleshow/91713347.cms">‘world’s breadbasket’ </a>and Russia and Ukraine together account for almost a third of the world’s wheat exports. Drought and extreme weather is also adding to the woes brought on by war and supply chain disruption. “Conditions today are worse than those experienced in 2007 and 2008. And drought in wheat growing regions around the world is the most extreme it's been in over 20 years. Similar inventory concerns also apply to corn and other grains,” Sara Menker, the CEO of agriculture analytics firm Gro Intelligence, told the <keyword id="55859" type="General" weightage="50" keywordseo="un-security-council" source="Orion">UN Security Council</keyword>. India also recorded the warmest March, scorching heat wave with temperature upwards 45 degree celsius. This is yet another reason that the government gave to explain its sudden ban on wheat exports. SEE ALSO: <a target="_blank" class="c-link c-message_attachment__title_link" href="http://www.businessinsider.in/international/news/north-korea-faces-food-shortages-estimated-at-860000-tonnes-amid-of-economic-constraints-and-covid-19-cia-data/articleshow/91906346.cms">North Korea faces food shortages estimated at 860,000 tonnes amid of economic constraints and COVID-19: CIA data</a> <a target="_blank" class="c-link c-message_attachment__title_link" href="http://www.businessinsider.in/business/startups/news/vineeta-singhs-sugar-cosmetics-raises-50-mn-as-it-plans-to-add-30000-stores/articleshow/91906537.cms">Vineeta Singh’s Sugar Cosmetics raises $50 million as it plans to add 30,000 stores</a>

Wheat export ban seems to be taking effect as atta prices soften

New Delhi, Nov 24 () The <keyword id="6356303" type="LOCATION" weightage="20" keywordseo="Centre">Centre</keyword> on Tuesday said it has invited <keyword id="3627663" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="farmer-unions">farmer unions</keyword> from Punjab for the second round of ministerial talks on December 3 to resolve differences over the <keyword id="10076694" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="new-agriculture-laws">new agriculture laws</keyword>. The meeting comes after farmer leaders laid a condition for another central ministerial meeting while calling off their 'rail roko' agitation in Punjab on Monday and lifted the nearly two-month-long blockade, allowing resumption of only goods trains. Speaking to , Food Secretary Sudhanshu Pandey said, "We have called the representatives of over 30 farmer organisations for the second round of discussion on December 3 at Vigyan Bhawan at 11 am". The secretary has sent the invitation to the farmer bodies on behalf of Union Agriculture Minister Narendra Singh Tomar. Food Minister Piyush Goyal is also expected to be present in the meeting. Officials from food and agriculture departments of the Punjab government have also been invited for the talks. The first round of talks was held on November 13, but it remained inconclusive, with both sides sticking to their ground. Punjab farmers have been demanding the repeal of the new farm laws and replace them with another set of laws framed after wider consultation with stakeholders. They also demanded a guarantee on the MSP front, as they claimed that these new laws may lead to the end of minimum support prices (MSP) procurement, which the Centre has denied. When asked about their demand on MSP, the secretary said, "Earlier laws too did not have any mention of MSP. Even the new agri-laws do not mention it. MSP is mentioned only in the National Food Security Act (NFSA) which has not been changed. Till <keyword id="89442" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="20" keywordseo="Public-distribution-system">Public Distribution System</keyword> (PDS) is there, MSP will continue". The Prime Minister has also stated this and even the Union Agriculture Minister has said in Parliament that MSP will continue, he added. "We have explained in detail to farmer unions about this issue. Hopefully, we will resolve the issue with them at the December 3 meeting," he noted. LUX BAL

Centre calls Punjab farmers for second round of talks on December 3 to resolve differences over farm laws

<img src="https://static-ssl.businessinsider.com/image/5e7221afc4854055053ebb62-2400/india coronavirus 1.jpg" alt="india coronavirus 1" />Sanjay Kanojia/AFP via Getty ImagesA cyclist wearing a face mask rides past a mural depicting Hindu god Hanuman in Allahabad, India, on March 18, 2020.<ul class="summary-list"><li>India is home to more than 1.3 billion people, but so far has only reported 176 coronavirus cases and three deaths.</li><li>Experts fear that testing rates, that are being kept low to prevent panic and to keep healthcare costs down, may be camouflaging the real scope of the outbreak.</li><li>India faces several hurdles in its fight against COVID-19, including high population density, lack of hygiene, and insufficient healthcare funding.</li><li>Officials have already begun cracking down: travel restrictions, schools, restaurants, and public space closures, exam cancellations, and remote work mandates are in effect.</li><li><a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/?hprecirc-bullet">Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories</a>.</li></ul>India, the world's second-most populous country, has remained largely unscathed as the coronavirus continues its relentless march across the globe. Home to more than 1.3 billion people, <a href="https://gisanddata.maps.arcgis.com/apps/opsdashboard/index.html#/bda7594740fd40299423467b48e9ecf6">India has reported 176 cases and three deaths</a> as of Wednesday. By contrast, China, whose population is 1.4 billion people, <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/china-virus-everything-we-know-deadly-2019-ncov-wuhan-spread-2020-1">reported at least 81,000 cases and more than 3,200 deaths</a>. Even Italy, the worst-hit nation outside Asia, with a population of around 60 million people, has surpassed 35,700 cases and 2,900 deaths.But India's caseload may not be accurate. The country is conducting only about 90 tests per day, the <a href="https://newsroom.ap.org/detail/Indiasrestrictivecriteriaforvirustestingmaymasktoll/58b05ada591d1028cc775d45b55c3eac/text?Query=india%20AND%20coronavirus&amp;mediaType=text&amp;sortBy=arrivaldatetime:desc&amp;dateRange=Anytime&amp;totalCount=50&amp;currentItemNo=2">Associated Press</a> reported, and only 11,500 Indians have been screened for the COVID-19 virus so far. This, despite the country having the capacity to test up to 8,000 people a day.The World Health Organization is urging governments to step up testing as the coronavirus outbreak grows."We need to be geared to respond to the evolving situation with the aim to stop transmission of COVID-19 at the earliest to minimize the impact," Dr. Poonam Khetrapal Singh, WHO's director for the region that includes India, told AP. "We need to act now."<h2>Testing numbers kept low to avoid 'paranoia'</h2>However, India is only screening people who have either traveled there from a country that's been badly affected or those who have come in contact with a patient or are presenting symptoms themselves, AP said. As of Tuesday, officials have expanded the criteria to include medical workers who are treating COVID-19 patients and have symptoms too.Balaram Bharghava, who heads the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR), said the WHO guidance was "premature" for India because the coronavirus' rate of spread is not as rapid as it has been in other countries and community transmission hasn't been detected yet."Therefore it creates more fear, more paranoia, and more hype," Bhargava said, according to AP.<img src="https://static-ssl.businessinsider.com/image/5e738059c4854036500e06c4-2400/gettyimages-1207591559.jpg" alt="india coronavirus" />Narinder Nanu/AFP via Getty ImagesA health worker (L) wearing a facemask checks the body temperature of devotees at the entrance of the Golden Temple in Amritsar, India, on March 18, 2020.Officials say they are also trying to avoid overloading hospitals and keeping costs down. India's health-care expenditure amounts to only 3.7% of its GDP, <a href="https://www.ndtv.com/india-news/coronavirus-cases-in-india-will-be-10-times-higher-by-april-15-expert-2196779">NDTV</a> reported, leading to public hospitals that are overcrowded, private healthcare that many can't afford, and a lack of funding to combat illnesses like tuberculosis, malnutrition, and HIV/AIDs. In the case of COVID-19, patients aren't charged for tests, but each one costs the government about 5,000 rupees ($67).Many people who may have come in contact with the virus are being sent home without being tested, though, AP reported.This happened to a British citizen who was turned away from a public hospital even though she had a cough, shortness of breath, and a private doctor's referral - and informed officials that she may have been exposed to a coronavirus patient due to her work in the hospitality industry. She tried to get tested another time, but was rejected again, forcing her to leave India for France, where her family is based, AP said. <h2>High population density creates social distancing challenges</h2>Such accounts have sparked concerns about the government statistics being far lower than the real count."Given the pattern of disease in other places, and given our low level of testing, then I do think that community transmission is happening, " Dr. Gagandeep Kang, director of the Translational Health Science and Technology Institute, told AP.India's bloated population density decreases the chance of social distancing, which experts say is the only way to "<a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/us-one-week-enforce-social-distancing-flatten-curve-coronavirus-2020-3">flatten the curve</a>" of the coronavirus' infection rate.<img src="https://static-ssl.businessinsider.com/image/5e737fd9c4854035db66e137-2400/gettyimages-1207592306.jpg" alt="india coronavirus" />Satyabrata Tripathy/Hindustan Times via Getty ImagesSome people wear face masks and others use handkerchiefs to protect from the coronavirus on a crowded train at Andheri Metro Station on March 17, 2020 in Mumbai, India.But India's big cities are overcrowded with residents, many of whom are stuffed into slums, low-income dwellings, single- and multiple-family homes, and skyscrapers. NDTV estimated that around 420 people live on just 0.4 square miles of land in many of the country's largest cities."Social distancing is something often talked about but only works well for the urban middle class," said Dr. K. Srinath Reddy, adjunct professor of epidemiology at the T.H. Chan School of Public Health at Harvard University.He continued: "It doesn't work well for the urban poor or the rural population where its extremely difficult both in terms of compactly packed houses, but also because many of them have to go to work in areas which are not necessarily suitable for social distancing."Shreyanka Rao, of New Delhi, echoed the sentiment."While it's easy to say maintain social distancing, it's still something that can only be practiced by privileged people who have the time, space and wherewithal to do so," she told Insider. "While the [South] Korean and Singaporean approach is laudable, their systems, resources and volumes are in a different league."<h2>Lack of hygiene complicates bid to fight coronavirus </h2>India's fight against coronavirus is also plagued by a lack of clean water. Experts have said that using hand sanitizer and washing hands for at least 20 seconds is helpful in warding off the infection. But Dharam Singh Rajput, like many residents, can <a href="https://newsroom.ap.org/detail/CleanwateraccessforIndiaspoorspawnsvirusconcerns/680dd4c0c13ed020b5ad31848cfc31bf/text?Query=india%20AND%20coronavirus&amp;mediaType=text&amp;sortBy=arrivaldatetime:desc&amp;dateRange=Anytime&amp;totalCount=50&amp;currentItemNo=1">neither afford to purchase bottles of hand sanitizer nor access clean running water</a>, the AP said. Rajput lives in India's capital city of New Delhi, but open sewers and piles of garbage can be found across his neighborhood."The kind of water we have access to has the potential to cause more diseases instead of warding off the virus if we use it to wash our hands," Rajput told AP.<img src="https://static-ssl.businessinsider.com/image/5e738133c485406655337554-2400/gettyimages-1207648501.jpg" alt="india coronavirus" />Manjunath Kiran/AFP via Getty ImagesA worker fumigates the interiors of a Karnataka Interstate Transport bus to prevent the spread of the COVID-19 virus in Bangalore, India, on March 19, 2020.An apparent lack of hygiene has also been reported at hospitals nationwide. There have been reports that some <a href="https://qz.com/india/1819659/why-are-patients-fleeing-indias-coronavirus-isolation-wards/">coronavirus cases are fleeing hospitals</a> because of substandard hygiene. In the state of Maharashtra, five people were tested for coronavirus. One of them tested negative, but the entire group left the isolation ward where they were being kept before the others' results came in because it was too dirty, AP reported.Aditya Bhatnagar, who has been quarantined with 50 other people following a flight from Spain, said more than half a dozen people are packed into each room while quarantined, and noted that the quarantine spaces don't have clean bedsheets or sanitary restrooms. No one's been given masks or hand sanitizer, either."I don't think these measures would be enough to contain the pandemic," Bhatnagar told AP, explaining that some people had decided to tell shell out 4,000 rupees a night ($55) and await their COVID-19 test results at a private hospital instead.<h2>'An avalanche' is coming</h2>Government officials are particularly worried about the situation in Maharashtra, which is home not only to India's financial hub, Mumbai, but also the highest number of cases: 39 as of Monday. Across the nation, India has begun closing down schools, theaters, malls, and other public spaces, university exams have been called off, and government and private offices have been urged to switch to remote work schedules, NDTV reported. Ganga Pandit, who lives in Pune, told Insider that only five people at a time are being allowed into major grocery stores, where he noticed that people are panic buying medicines, antiseptic creams, soap, and face masks. <img src="https://static-ssl.businessinsider.com/image/5e737f37c4854064c666c479-2400/gettyimages-1207592490.jpg" alt="India coronavirus" />Pradeep Gaur/Mint via Getty ImagesPeople rush to buy masks, hand sanitizers and medicines at a pharmacy shop in New Delhi, India.Since a majority of the country's cases have been "imported" from foreign countries - whether by people traveling there or coming in contact with those who did - India has also enforced strict travel restrictions, <a href="https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2020/03/india-poor-testing-rate-masked-coronavirus-cases-200318040314568.html">Al Jazeera</a> reported.Tourists and non-Indian residents from China, Iran, South Korea, Turkey, the United Kingdom, and the European Union are prohibited from entering the country. People who travel from or transition through the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Oman, and Kuwait will be quarantined for 14 days upon landing in India, and its borders with Bangladesh and Myanmar have been mostly closed. But people, like Sudhanshu Pandey, tweeted his concerns that India is on the fast track to a "<a href="https://twitter.com/SUD_0107/status/1240635871923245057">worst-case scenario</a>," and called on authorities to lock down big cities, including New Delhi, Mumbai, and Pune.Experts agree."They are not understanding that this is an avalanche," Dr. T. Jacob John, the former head of ICMR's Centre for Advanced Research in Virology, told NDTV. "As every week passes, the avalanche is growing bigger and bigger."Read more:<a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/coronavirus-death-rate-by-country-current-fatalities-compared-to-cases-2020-3">One chart shows different countries' current coronavirus death rates, based on the known number of cases and deaths</a><a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/china-no-new-local-coronavirus-cases-first-time-during-outbreak-2020-3">China reported no new local coronavirus cases for the first time during the outbreak</a><a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/us-one-week-enforce-social-distancing-flatten-curve-coronavirus-2020-3">The US has one week to enforce social distancing and 'flatten the curve' as the coronavirus outbreak escalates. Here's why these days are so critical.</a><ul><li> </li></ul> <h3>NOW WATCH: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/coronavirus-anxiety-therapy-advice-self-care-2020-3">Why you shouldn't judge yourself for having coronavirus anxiety, according to a therapist</a></h3> <iframe class="bijwplayerclass" src="https://content.jwplatform.com/players/xRGFIYgf-CEZHWCBG.html" width="100%" height="100%" frameborder="0" scrolling="auto" style="margin:0px;"></iframe>

You Searched For "sudhanshu pandey" and got 5 results

Enough wheat stock in India; Govt to take action against hoarders if needed: Food Secy

PTI

Rice production may fall by 10-12 mn tonnes: Food Secretary

IANS

Wheat export ban seems to be taking effect as atta prices soften

Vaamanaa Sethi

Centre calls Punjab farmers for second round of talks on December 3 to resolve differences over farm laws

PTI

The WHO is urging countries to step up COVID-19 testing, but Indian authorities believe doing so will spark 'more fear, more paranoia, and more hype'

Rhea Mahbubani,Rhea Mahbubani