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Sunday, Aug 19, 2007
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Congress MPs quiz Sharad Pawar on wheat import

Special Correspondent

Inadequate quantity procured for PDS
Wheat procured by States below target: Pawar

NEW DELHI: Union Food and Agriculture Minister Sharad Pawar was quizzed in the Rajya Sabha on Friday by Congress members Motilal Vora and Satyavrat Chaturvedi on the low procurement of wheat and its import at a higher cost than the minimum support price being given to farmers.

The members questioned the Government’s inability to procure adequate wheat for the Public Distribution System (PDS) despite a production of 74.89 million tonnes, and the decision to import up to five million tonnes this year.

Mr. Pawar said that the Food Corporation of India and other agencies procured 11.10 million tonnes of wheat for the PDS. Besides, private traders had procured 18.76 lakh tonnes and it was possible that the farmers, small traders and buyers also kept some quantities with them.

The Minister also said that private trade was supposed to declare to the Government the purchase of wheat above 50,000 tonnes. He said the wheat procured by States was below the target of 15 million tonnes set by the States themselves. Maharashtra and Gujarat had not contributed anything to the Central pool. Of the 250-lakh tonnes produced in Uttar Pradesh, the State returned only five-lakh tonnes and of the 35-lakh tonnes produced in Bihar, only 8,000 tonnes was procured by the State for the Central pool. According to the Minister, the procurement of foodgrains under the minimum support price operations was “open ended.”

Mr. Chaturvedi sought to know why wheat was being imported at a higher price than the minimum support prices of Rs. 850 per quintal being given to domestic farmers.

Mr. Pawar said it was fixed when the international price was about Rs. 743.72 per quintal.

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