GOVT ALLOWS EXPORT OF 2 MILLION TONNES OF NON-BASMATI RICE
New Delhi March 7:
The government is believed to have allowed the export of two million tonnes of non-basmati rice and increased the allocation of rice and wheat to states for supply through ration shops.
An empowered group of ministers (eGoM) on food, which met yesterday, had decided to allow the shipment of non-basmati rice through diplomatic channels, official sources said. India has exported 7.44 lakh tonnes of non-basmati rice through diplomatic channels so far this fiscal. The country put a ban on the commercial shipment of non-basmati rice in April last year to contain the price rise.
The allocation, which has been demanded by many states for a long time, has been increased only for families above the poverty line, the sources added. The eGoM, headed by External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee, also decided to open wheat export after May, the sources said. It also removed the limit on stocks of wheat a trader can build, as the country is likely to witness a bumper harvest this year, they said.
However, the panel of ministers deferred a decision on reducing the MEP on basmati to USD 800 per tonne as proposed by the Commerce Ministry from the present USD 1,100.
New Delhi March 7:
The government is believed to have allowed the export of two million tonnes of non-basmati rice and increased the allocation of rice and wheat to states for supply through ration shops.
An empowered group of ministers (eGoM) on food, which met yesterday, had decided to allow the shipment of non-basmati rice through diplomatic channels, official sources said. India has exported 7.44 lakh tonnes of non-basmati rice through diplomatic channels so far this fiscal. The country put a ban on the commercial shipment of non-basmati rice in April last year to contain the price rise.
The allocation, which has been demanded by many states for a long time, has been increased only for families above the poverty line, the sources added. The eGoM, headed by External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee, also decided to open wheat export after May, the sources said. It also removed the limit on stocks of wheat a trader can build, as the country is likely to witness a bumper harvest this year, they said.
However, the panel of ministers deferred a decision on reducing the MEP on basmati to USD 800 per tonne as proposed by the Commerce Ministry from the present USD 1,100.
