The Hindu Business Line : No curbs on pvt wheat buys: Pawar

New Delhi March 29 The Union Agriculture Minister, Mr Sharad Pawar, on Thursday said there was no official move to restrict wheat purchases by private players, including multinationals, in the ensuing rabi marketing season, beginning April 1.

"The Government has not put restrictions on any company, including MNCs, to buy wheat from anywhere in the country. Farmers are free to sell wheat to whosoever they like," the Minister told presspersons here.

Declaration of stocks

According to him, all that the Centre did was to make it mandatory for traders buying more than 50,000 tonnes to declare their stocks.

Under the Wheat (Stock Declaration by Companies or Firms or Individuals) Order 2007 issued under the Essential Commodities Act, 1955 on March 1, any private party purchasing wheat beyond 50,000 tonnes during 2007-08 "shall furnish to the Central Government a return indicating the name/address of the company, quantity of wheat purchased and quantity of wheat held in stock".

FOR BETTER PRICES

Mr Pawar defended the Order noting that since the Food Corporation of India (FCI) was regularly declaring the quantity of wheat procured and stocks held by it, there was no harm if this applied to large private buyers as well. In any case, not too many private traders would be affected by the Order.

"As Agriculture Minister, I want farmers to get a better price. But they should be no hoarding or exploitation of consumers," he added.

Punjab's demand

Reacting to the Punjab Government's demand for a minimum support price (MSP) of Rs 900 per quintal, Mr Pawar said the Centre had already raised the effective procurement price this year from Rs 700 to Rs 850 per quintal.

"If Punjab wants a higher price, its Government should do away with the various levies that add up to 11.5 per cent of the MSP. No State in the country imposes such high levels of levies," he quipped.

The Minister ridiculed reports that private traders were paying as much as Rs 2,000 per quintal for wheat in States such as Madhya Pradesh.

"Why should anybody pay so much? If they are, I would send all the wheat from Baramati (Mr Pawar's constituency) there," he remarked.