Deprecated (16384): The ArrayAccess methods will be removed in 4.0.0.Use getParam(), getData() and getQuery() instead. - /home/brlfuser/public_html/src/Controller/ArtileDetailController.php, line: 150
 You can disable deprecation warnings by setting `Error.errorLevel` to `E_ALL & ~E_USER_DEPRECATED` in your config/app.php. [CORE/src/Core/functions.php, line 311]
Deprecated (16384): The ArrayAccess methods will be removed in 4.0.0.Use getParam(), getData() and getQuery() instead. - /home/brlfuser/public_html/src/Controller/ArtileDetailController.php, line: 151
 You can disable deprecation warnings by setting `Error.errorLevel` to `E_ALL & ~E_USER_DEPRECATED` in your config/app.php. [CORE/src/Core/functions.php, line 311]
Warning (512): Unable to emit headers. Headers sent in file=/home/brlfuser/public_html/vendor/cakephp/cakephp/src/Error/Debugger.php line=853 [CORE/src/Http/ResponseEmitter.php, line 48]
Warning (2): Cannot modify header information - headers already sent by (output started at /home/brlfuser/public_html/vendor/cakephp/cakephp/src/Error/Debugger.php:853) [CORE/src/Http/ResponseEmitter.php, line 148]
Warning (2): Cannot modify header information - headers already sent by (output started at /home/brlfuser/public_html/vendor/cakephp/cakephp/src/Error/Debugger.php:853) [CORE/src/Http/ResponseEmitter.php, line 181]
LATEST NEWS UPDATES | Food Minister gives nod to export of wheat, rice

Food Minister gives nod to export of wheat, rice

Share this article Share this article
published Published on Jun 29, 2011   modified Modified on Jun 29, 2011

-Express News Service

 

Having resisted the export of foodgrain since taking charge in January, Food Minister K V Thomas on Wednesday said that he was not opposed to export of “some quantity of wheat and rice” as there is bumper production in the country.

Thomas’s statement holds significance as he has been publicly speaking against foodgrain export, citing the proposed food security law.

“Our department is not negative to the idea of foodgrain exports. I do not mind export of some quantity of wheat and rice as there is bumper production,” Thomas said, revealing that there were ‘some proposals’ for allowing export of two million tonnes of wheat and one million tonne of rice from some ministries and state governments. “A decision in this regard will be taken by the Empowered Group of Ministers. I hope a decision will be taken at the earliest,” he added.

The Food Minister’s change of heart has arisen from the record food stocks as the government is staring at over 65.5 million tonnes of foodgrains as against less than 45 million tonnes of covered wheat storage in the country. This means remaining stock has been kept under covered and plinth (CAP) facilities. While about 18 million tonnes of freshly procured wheat has been stored in CAP facilities, there was about two million tonnes of wheat currently stocked in an unscientific manner in Punjab.

“CAP facility is a scientific storage. However, there is no denying that some quantities may be under non-scientific storage facilities — about 18.77 lakh tonnes of wheat in Punjab is neither under cover nor under CAP facilities,” Food Secretary B C Gupta said. However, he underlined that the ministry is working overtime to evacuate this stock from Punjab to proper facilities at the earliest and expressed hope to complete the process by the end of July.

Thomas, who had initially resisted sugar export, on Wednesday defended the decision to allow export of five lakh tonnes of sugar and asserted that his ministry had “other mechanisms” to intervene in the domestic market if the prices head north.

Thomas said the government was committed to the enactment of food security law as promised by the Congress in its manifesto of 2009 general elections. He revealed that the ministry will be ready with its draft food security Bill in “next two-three days” and send it to the EGoM for consideration.

The Indian Express, 30 June, 2011, http://www.indianexpress.com/news/Food-Minister-gives-nod-to-export-of-wheat--rice/810686/


Related Articles

 

Write Comments

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

*

Video Archives

Archives

share on Facebook
Twitter
RSS
Feedback
Read Later

Contact Form

Please enter security code
      Close