Steps to Check Prices of Food Items

The Government has taken a number of steps recently to improve the availability and contain prices of essential food items. These include:

· Minimum Export Price (MEP) fixed for potatoes at USD 450 per M.T. w.e.f. 26.06.2014 and of onions at USD 500 per M.T. w.e.f. 2.07.2014 respectively.
· States have been advised to allow free movement of fruits and vegetables by delisting them from the APMC Act.
· Government has approved the release of additional five million tonnes of Rice to BPL & APL families in states pending implementation of National Food Security Act (NFSA).
· Advisory to State Governments issued to take action against hoarding & black marketing and effectively enforce the Essential Commodities Act, 1955 & the Prevention of Black-marketing and Maintenance of Supplies of Essential Commodities Act, 1980.
· Imposed stock limits in respect of onion and potato for a period of one year with effect from 3rd July, 2014 under the Essential Commodities Act.
· Based on interaction with the State Governments/UTs on 4th July, 2014, a decision has been taken to amend the Essential Commodities Act to make hoarding and black marketing a non bailable offence and increase the period of detention to one year from existing six months.

This information was given by the Minister of State for Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution, Shri Raosaheb Patil Danve in a written reply in Rajya Sabha today(18th July, 2014).


Courtesy: Press Information Bureau(pib.nic.in)