Agriculture Minister Sharad Pawar today said the government will take a final view on lifting the export ban on wheat and non-basmati rice after assessing foodgrains requirement under the proposed National Food Security Act.
Last month, Pawar had said that the government should give a serious thought on allowing export of wheat and non-basmati rice, banned in February 2007 and April 2008, respectively, as FCI has foodgrains stock higher than the buffer norm.
Stating that the Prime Minister had yesterday announced that the food bill will be brought in the monsoon session, Pawar said: “If we have to take a responsibility of providing food as a right and give substantial quantity at reasonable rates, it is a responsibility of Food and Agriculture Ministries to see that sufficient foodgrains stocks are there”.
