What is the function of buffer stocks in India’s food security architecture? Explain the operational role of FCI.
Subtopic: Agriculture · Food security
How to structure your answer
Introduction: Food Corporation of India Act 1964; Section 17 mandates price stability via procurement and buffer; current buffer norms — wheat 21 LMT (Jan 1) to 275 LMT (Apr 1), rice scaling similarly.
Body: 1) Functions — price support, market stabilisation, PDS supply, strategic reserve. 2) Operations — MSP procurement from Punjab-Haryana, intra-state transport, storage at 1,800+ depots. 3) Open Market Sale Scheme (OMSS) for price moderation.
Way forward: Cost optimisation under Shanta Kumar Committee 2015; outsource procurement to states (DCP expansion); modernise depots via steel silos.
Written within the word limit
144 words · target 150 words · 9 min
Introduction: The Food Corporation of India Act 1964, especially Section 17, mandates FCI to ensure price stability through procurement and buffer stocking; wheat buffer norms scale from 21 LMT (1 January) to 275 LMT (1 April), while rice norms follow a parallel quarterly grid.
Body: First, buffer stocks underpin price support to farmers, market stabilisation, NFSA-PDS supply, and a strategic reserve against shocks like droughts or geopolitical disruption. Second, FCI operates 1,800+ depots, procures from Punjab-Haryana mandis at MSP, and moves grain through dedicated rail rakes coordinated with the Indian Railways. Third, the Open Market Sale Scheme (OMSS) is used to cool retail prices, as seen in tomato (2023), wheat OMSS (February 2023), and Bharat Atta and Bharat Dal under NAFED-NCCF channels.
Way forward: Implement Shanta Kumar Committee 2015 recommendations — expand Decentralised Procurement, modernise depots into steel silos, outsource non-core logistics, and link OMSS releases to a real-time price-trigger dashboard at MoCAFPD by FY28.
What an examiner expects to see
- FCI Act 1964 — Section 17
- Buffer norms 21.04 MT (Apr 1)
- OMSS for price stabilisation
- Shanta Kumar Committee 2015
- 1,800+ FCI depots
- PMGKAY extended five years
Concrete cases, schemes and judgments
- Tomato OMSS 2023
- Bharat Atta and Bharat Dal NAFED
- Wheat OMSS February 2023
- Onion buffer NAFED/NCCF