India will have sufficient food grain stock: Pawar
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New Delhi: Unperturbed by the soaring prices of essential commodities, Union Agriculture Minister Sharad Pawar today brushed aside the apprehensions of further increase in food prices of the essential commodities. The Minister is apparently exuding this confidence on the basis of the reports of good harvest of Rabi crops and similar expectations from Kharif crops this year.
Dismissing Food and Agriculture Organisation Director General Jacqus Diouf's views that prices of cereals would continue to follow the upward trend in India in the line of international prices, Pawar said that country was expecting to have enough food grains in the stock in coming days.
"Whatever speculation is being expressed for other countries of the world is not justified for India. I have been briefed by the concerned officials that the condition (of shortage of food grains) would improve substantially. The Rabi harvesting season is here and we are expecting good Kharif production as well," said Pawar after meeting the FAO chief today in his office.
Pawar, however, termed the high prices of cereals in the international market as "alarming situation" but cited huge demands from fast growing economies like India and China as reasons for the surge. "India and China are growing at the rate of 8 to 9 percent. These countries also confine the huge population base. The situation is leading towards accelerated demand," he cited. He also attributed the reduction in agricultural production to global warming.
Pawar recently met Chief Ministers of Punjab and Haryana, the two largest grain producing states over procurement of Wheat. The Centre has also reduced the custom and import duty over food items and coining the idea for establishing the strategic food grain stock though import. Responding to a question, the Agricultural Minister said that the demands for more supply of fertilisers for the Kharif season by states have been met.
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Dismissing Food and Agriculture Organisation Director General Jacqus Diouf's views that prices of cereals would continue to follow the upward trend in India in the line of international prices, Pawar said that country was expecting to have enough food grains in the stock in coming days.
"Whatever speculation is being expressed for other countries of the world is not justified for India. I have been briefed by the concerned officials that the condition (of shortage of food grains) would improve substantially. The Rabi harvesting season is here and we are expecting good Kharif production as well," said Pawar after meeting the FAO chief today in his office.
Pawar, however, termed the high prices of cereals in the international market as "alarming situation" but cited huge demands from fast growing economies like India and China as reasons for the surge. "India and China are growing at the rate of 8 to 9 percent. These countries also confine the huge population base. The situation is leading towards accelerated demand," he cited. He also attributed the reduction in agricultural production to global warming.
Pawar recently met Chief Ministers of Punjab and Haryana, the two largest grain producing states over procurement of Wheat. The Centre has also reduced the custom and import duty over food items and coining the idea for establishing the strategic food grain stock though import. Responding to a question, the Agricultural Minister said that the demands for more supply of fertilisers for the Kharif season by states have been met.
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