Figure this out. According to a latest survey by the National Sample Survey Organisation (NSSO), attached to the Union Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation, Karnataka is the largest wheat-consuming State among major southern States of Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh and Kerala. The State has also acquired number one position in the country as far as wheat consumption under Public Distribution System (PDS) is concerned.
However, north Indian States of Uttar Pradesh, Punjab and Haryana top the list among the largest wheat consuming States in the country.
Though for people from north Indian States including Uttar Pradesh, Punjab and Haryana, wheat is a staple food, they apparently have an aversion to using PDS wheat. A meagre 0.3 per cent of people in rural areas and 0.6 per cent in urban areas buy wheat from PDS. Almost 100 per cent of people in both rural and urban areas buy wheat from other sources in these States, according to the survey.
The survey done on “Public Distribution System and Other Sources of Household Consumption” reveals that 45.6 per cent of rural households and 14.6 per cent of urban households in Karnataka use wheat under PDS, which is the highest in the country. The figures are 71 per cent and 81 per cent for rural and urban households respectively, that use wheat from sources other than PDS.
NSSO has surveyed 79,298 rural households and 45,346 urban households, covering 15 major states in the country. In Karnataka, 288 villages and 244 urban blocks, comprising 2,880 rural households, and 2,227 urban households, were surveyed. The survey findings have been released in July 2007.
Statistics show that other south Indian States are far behind Karnataka in wheat consumption from both PDS and other sources. In Kerala, 12.2 and 12.1 per cent of rural and urban households respectively use wheat under PDS and 60 and 72 per cent rural and urban households respectively consume wheat from other sources. In Tamil Nadu, only 8.9 and 10.7 per cent of rural and urban households respectively use wheat under PDS and 29 and 61 per cent of families in rural and urban Tamil Nadu use wheat from other sources.
Worst is Andra Pradesh. Here a meagre 0.6 per cent and 0.7 per cent of rural and urban households respectively consume wheat under PDS, which according to officials is almost negligible. Similarly, only 27 and 56 per cent of rural and urban households respectively use wheat from other sources, the survey revealed.
According to Karnataka Food and Civil Supplies Department officials, the State is procuring 26,000 tones of wheat every month from the Centre under PDS.
“There is great demand for wheat among people, both in the urban and the rural areas. Compared to the trend a decade ago, there is a huge difference in food habits of the people and they are fast developing a taste for wheat here,” officials said.