Addressing the 82nd AGM of Roller Flour Millers Federation of India, Food Secretary Sudhanshu Pandey said that there is sufficient wheat stock in the country. He further assured that action against hoarders will be taken, if needed arises, to boost domestic supply.
To keep a check against hoarding, the government may consider steps like asking for disclosure of wheat stocks by traders and imposing stock limits, he said.
The Food Secretary was speaking about the sudden price rise of wheat. He pointed out that wheat prices have gone up due to "speculative trading". Pandey pointed out that wheat is coming slowly into the market as speculators are still hoarding in anticipation of price rise.
Pandey said the government's wheat production forecast is around 105 million tonnes in the rabi season of 2021-22 crop year (July-June) while the trade estimates are 95-98 million tonnes.
Pandey assured that the production is enough to meet the domestic demand even if trade estimates are to be believed.
The country has exported 4.5 million tonnes of wheat till now in this fiscal year. Out of this, 2.1 million tonnes were shipped before the imposition of ban on wheat exports on May 13. India exported 7.2 million tonnes of wheat in the previous fiscal year.
"There is no problem with wheat availability within the country. Overall quantity which we need for the domestic requirement is available in the country," Pandey asserted. "Adequate wheat is available in the country. We will take steps if needed to bring out the grain into the market," he said.
India's wheat production is estimated to have declined to 106.84 million tonnes in the 2021-22 crop year from 109.6 million tonnes in the previous year. Heat waves in certain wheat-producing states like Punjab and Haryana are attributed to this.
This forced the Centre to impose a ban on wheat exports and also supply more rice instead of wheat through ration shops.
Pandey also added that an announcement on the sugar export quota for next marketing year starting October can be made soon. However, he did not disclose the quantity of sugar that will be allowed for export.
In May, the government had allowed exports of 100 lakh tonnes of sugar but later allowed another 12 lakh tonnes to make the total export quota for the 2021-22 marketing year to 112 lakh tonnes.
India's sugar exports stood at 70 lakh tonnes in 2020-21 marketing year, 59 lakh tonnes in 2019-20 and 38 lakh tonnes in 2018-19.
Aditya Jhunjhunwala, President of Indian Sugar Mills Association (ISMA) had requested in a letter to Food and Consumer Affairs Minister Piyush Goyal earlier, "We would like to request the government to allow 80 lakh tonnes of exports for 2022-23 SS (Sugar Season)."
-With inputs from PTI
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