Pawar rules out rice import by Govt; stocks above buffer norms

Food and Agriculture Minister Sharad Pawar today ruled out any possibility of the government importing rice and said the stocks are more than the buffer norms.

Food and Agriculture Minister Sharad Pawar today ruled out any possibility of the government importing rice and said the stocks are more than the buffer norms.

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Asked whether the government will import rice this year as production is estimated to dip by 13 million tonnes from last year's levels, Pawar replied in the negative and said "Our stock position is better than over and above the buffer norms and strategic reserves."

He was speaking on the sidelines of the annual general meeting of the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR).

According to the buffer norms, the Centre should have 118 lakh tonnes of rice as on January 1 every year. The norms for the minimum stock that the government has to maintain are fixed on a quarterly basis.

According to government sources, the Centre had 229 lakh tonnes of rice as on December 1, 2009.

Pawar also said Food Corporation of India (FCI) has sought permission from Uttar Pradesh government to allow it to purchase paddy from the state as there was a complaint that farmers are selling their paddy below the minimum support price (MSP) of Rs 1,000 a quintal (including Rs 50 bonus).

He also pointed out that the current low market price of paddy in UP is because "there is no purchasing machinery".