Fortified Rice Kernels (FRK) with one per cent of Fortified Rice Stocks (w/w) blending with normal rice stock have been issued by the Department of Food and Public Distribution (DFPD) of the Ministry of Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution today.
For the upcoming Kharif Marketing Season (KMS) 2020-21, the department published uniform specifications for foodgrains. Standard specifications have been issued for paddy, rice, and other coarse grains, including jowar, bajra, maize, and ragi, as per standard practice. Besides the uniform specifications of rice for KMS 2020-21, these specifications also include standards for rice to be distributed by states and union territories (UTs) under the Targeted Public Distribution System (TPDS) and other welfare schemes.
As part of its efforts to ensure that farmers get a fair price for their produce, the Government of India has urged state governments to make sure that wide publicity is made among the farmers regarding the uniform specifications.
During KMS 2020-21, all states, union territories and Food Corporation of India (FCI) may follow the uniform specifications strictly. To protect and promote the interests of farmers, the Government of India has preponed the Kharif Procurement Period from September 26, 2020 for Haryana and Punjab and from September 28, 2020 for the rest of the country.
Farmers are being directed to receive minimum support price (MSP) payments from the Food Corporation of India and state procurement agencies hassle-free.
