Govt to decide on lifting wheat export ban soon

With huge stocks and a possible record output this year, the Centre will soon take a decision whether to allow export of wheat, which was banned in early 2007, Food And Agriculture Minister Sharad Pawar said in New Delhi on Thursday.

Asked whether the government will allow wheat export, Pawar said: "This will be discussed in the next EGoM meeting. We (will) have to take some definite view on this."

The Empowered Group of Ministers (EGoM) on food, headed by Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee, is likely to meet within the next 10 days, sources said.

The EGoM on Food meets every month. Its last meeting was held on February 12.

Pawar was speaking on the sidelines of the annual Krishi Mela, organised by the Indian Agricultural Research Institute.

The minister also said that the Food Ministry has not taken any decision so far on whether to allow duty-free import of wheat beyond March 31. The zero duty import benefit for wheat is to expire this month-end.

The Centre has a stock of 206.23 lakh tonnes of wheat and 256.58 lakh tonnes of rice as on January 31. The Central buffer stock is maintained to distribute foodgrain to the poor at cheaper rates.

Pawar added that the country is all set to harvest another record quantity of wheat this year, surpassing last year's 80.68 million tonnes.

"There will be a record production of wheat. As wheat is in the flowering stage, there will not be any impact of the rising temperature," he said.