Comments
Managing Director & Chief Executive Officer, NCML
The expectation that there would be a special thrust to the agriculture and food sectors in the Budget has been belied. There has also been no policy shift to signal greater engagement of the private sector and attract investment in this vital sector. It is also surprising that the Finance Minister did not announce any short-term measures to tackle food inflation. It had been expected that there would be immediate intervention on the supply side by announcing release of grains in the open market and import of pulses and edible oils to soften prices. The determination to deal with spiralling prices does not appear to have been a priority for the Government. However, the marginal reduction in excise duties in the food processing sector and extension of the Nabard RIDF loan scheme for warehousing infrastructure is welcome. The announcement of engaging with States for opening private agricultural markets, restructuring of the FCI, and moving towards a national market are also welcome steps.
Comments
COMMENT NOW
Comments
Comments have to be in English, and in full sentences. They cannot be abusive or personal. Please abide by our community guidelines for posting your comments.
We have migrated to a new commenting platform. If you are already a registered user of TheHindu Businessline and logged in, you may continue to engage with our articles. If you do not have an account please register and login to post comments. Users can access their older comments by logging into their accounts on Vuukle.