New Delhi: The government today ruled out imports of wheat and rice in 2008-09, saying the domestic procurement of the foodgrain is sufficient to meet demand throughout the year.

"There is no proposal to import wheat and rice this year," Minister of State for Food and Agriculture Akhilesh Prasad Singh said in a written reply in Rajya Sabha.

Replying to a question if the foodgrain procured at the minimum support price (MSP) during the year is enough to meet demand, Singh answered in the affirmative.

He said, 284.29 lakh tonnes of rice in Kharif 2007-08 and 226.82 lakh tonnes of wheat in Rabi 2008-09 were procured by the government agencies (Food Corporation of India and other state agencies) for the central pool.

The government today also made clear that food safety is not likely to be affected despite lower production of certain crops, though their prices may witness an upward curve.

"While lower production of certain crops may lead to some rise in their prices depending on other factors like international prices and import/export of these commodities, food safety is not likely to be affected adversely," Minister of State for Agriculture Kanti Lal Bhuria said in another written reply in the Rajya Sabha.

Production of bajra, maize, tur and oilseeds during Kharif 2008-09 is lower than their production in Kharif 2007-08, he added.

Areas under pulses, sugarcane and cotton declined from the last Kharif level. "The area coverage under some crops of Kharif 2008 was affected due to deficient/scanty rainfall at the critical time of sowing at some places," Bhuria said.
Source : PTI