Govt can’t be relaxed over rice

May 22, 2010 - Amit Agnihotri |

New Delhi

Though the government claims it has sufficient stocks of rice (255 lakh tonnes against a buffer need of 138 lakh tonnes), the world’s second-largest rice-producing nation cannot afford to be complacent, especially when it is planning to make right to food an entitlement for the poor, said experts.

The government is not permitting rice exports as a matter of policy to ensure sufficient stocks of the food grain. Sources said while development programmes in rice-based cropping system areas under macro-management are still a far cry, irrigation facilities in the eastern region of the country are far away.
Progress on steps to improve soil quality in Assam, Bihar and Jharkhand to enhance rice productivity in the kharif 2010 season too is slow, the sources added.

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