Question

The agency started with the responsibility of buffer stocking is :

• A. BSI
• B. IFFCO
• C. AGMARK
• D. Food Corporation of India

Hint:

The Food Corporation of India (FCI) was established in 1965 on the recommendations of the Jha Committee to address chronic food shortages and manage national food stocks.

Answer 1

The Correct Option is D

Step 1: Understanding the Concept:
A buffer stock is a system or scheme that buys and stores agricultural commodities during times of surplus to prevent prices falling below a target level, and releases them during times of shortage to stabilize prices and ensure food security.

Step 2: Detailed Explanation:
The Food Corporation of India (FCI) was established under the Food Corporations Act, 1964, and commenced operations in January 1965.
One of its primary mandates is to purchase, store, move, transport, distribute, and sell food grains (mainly wheat and rice) on behalf of the Government of India.
FCI manages the Public Distribution System (PDS) and maintains the national strategic buffer stocks to safeguard food security and stabilize food grain prices during lean periods.
Let us examine the other options for clarity:
- BSI (Botanical Survey of India) is responsible for taxonomic and floristic studies of wild plant resources.
- IFFCO (Indian Farmers Fertiliser Cooperative Limited) is a multi-state cooperative society engaged in manufacturing and marketing fertilizers.
- AGMARK is a certification mark employed on agricultural products in India, assuring conformity to a set of standards approved by the Directorate of Marketing and Inspection.
Therefore, FCI is the agency entrusted with buffer stocking.

Step 3: Final Answer:
The agency responsible for buffer stocking is the Food Corporation of India.