The Hindu : National : Wheat import to boost stocks, says Pawar

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Wednesday, Nov 14, 2007
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Wheat import to boost stocks, says Pawar

Special Correspondent

NEW DELHI: A day after the MMTC floated a tender for import of 3.5 lakh tonnes of wheat — the third import order this year — Minister for Agriculture and Food Sharad Pawar said the government was buying wheat to augment stocks in case of any exigency. The plan was to import at least 10 lakh tonnes this year. Last year, the government imported 55 lakh tonnes.

“I am not happy about imports but we have to be prepared for any emergency,” Mr. Pawar told the Economic Editors’ Conference here on Tuesday. A bumper wheat crop was expected this year.

Mr. Pawar said no decision was taken to hike the minimum support price for paddy. There was no decision either on raising the Central issue price of food grains in the Targeted Public Distribution System, “which might happen after next elections.”

Suicides by farmers

On suicides by farmers, he said the figures put out by the State governments, where the Prime Minister’s Rehabilitation Package was in force, revealed a “drop in the suicide rates due to agrarian crisis.” He, however, admitted that he did not have an independent report indicating a decline in the rate of farm suicides.

On rise in prices of essential commodities, he said though international prices of wheat and edible oils went up to 80 per cent or more in the last one year, domestic prices were maintained at reasonable levels.

He said the Abhijit Sen report on futures trading in food grains was not yet received. “There is support and opposition on futures. However, the decision to ban futures trading in wheat and pulses is not permanent in nature.”

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