The Hindu Business Line : `No duty-free wheat imports after Dec 31'

The Union Agriculture Minister, Mr Sharad Pawar, has ruled out extending the facility for duty-free import of wheat by private traders and roller flourmills beyond December 31.

"We are not going to allow import at zero duty beyond December 31," Mr Pawar said at the Economic Editors Conference here on Wednesday. He was confident that, unlike last year, the Government would procure sufficient wheat domestically to meet the requirements of the public distribution system and the country will not have to resort to imports next year.

`Record' output seen

"We have hiked the minimum support price (MSP) for wheat by a record Rs 100 per quintal, as against the normal Rs 10 per quintal increase during the last 4-5 years. Although sowing has only just started, farmers have already planted an additional seven lakh hectares so far, that too outside Punjab and Haryana," the Minister said. He projected a `record' wheat harvest this time, even while declining to give any firm estimate.

Regarding imports, Mr Pawar said that 26 lakh tonnes (lt) of the total 55 lt contracted by the State Trading Corporation (STC) has already arrived in the country, with another 14 lt on the way.

Port woes

On the problem of the imported wheat not being lifted from the ports, he said "it was because of priority being given now to movement of imported fertilisers, which is required during sowing time".

Officials dismissed reports of ships not finding adequate berthing space at the Kandla and Mundra ports. "Kandla has 11 berths and Mundra has six. There is no problem of berthing or discharge. In fact, we are easily discharging 10,000 tonnes per day per ship. The problem is mainly in bagging and loading and that is because of the priority being accorded to moving fertilisers from the ports to the hinterland," they told Business Line.

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