New Delhi ,March 18: Agriculture minister Sharad Pawar has ruled out the export of surplus wheat lying in godowns and indicated that Above Poverty Line (APL) families might have to pay more to buy wheat and rice through the public distribution system. The allocation made for such families should also go up, he said.

The government might also consider raising prices of wheat and rice sold through ration shops to Rs 11 a kg and Rs 15.37 a kg respectively for about 110 million such families. APL families are now provided wheat at Rs 6 per kg and rice at Rs 8.30 a kg through PDS. The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA) will take a call on this on Friday, sources said.
“There is no question of allowing wheat exports. We have proposed to allocate more wheat to APL families,” Mr Pawar said on Thursday.
As on March 1, the wheat stock in the central pool is 183.88 lakh tonnes, much more than the buffer requirement of 40 lakh tonnes till April 1, said ministry officials.
The minister also indicated that the government will extend duty-free import of wheat beyond March 31 — a step taken in 2008 to increase wheat availability in the domestic market to cool prices.
On sugar prices, Mr Pawar also expressed the hope that India’s sugar production would cross 17 million tonnes this season since the recovery rate and productivity of sugarcane had shot up in Maharashtra, Karnataka and Uttar Pradesh. “Initially, sugar production was estimated at 14-15 million tonnes this season. Now industry is expecting that sugar production will be 16.8 million tonnes. My assessment is that it will cross 17 million tonnes,” Mr Pawar said.
In the face of initial reports of lower domestic output and a resultant rise in prices, the government had scrapped import duty on sugar to augment supply last year.
Age Correspondent
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Govt clears draft food security bill
AMIT AGNIHOTRI
New Delhi

March 18: The UPA government took the first crucial step towards implementing right to food as an empowered group of ministers headed by finance minister Pranab Mukherjee cleared the draft national food security bill.
The bill, promising 25 kg of foodgrains per month at Rs 3 per kg to BPL persons, will now go to the Cabinet before it is posted on the food ministry website for public opinion.