‘Enough sugar, no need to import’

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New Delhi, Feb 14: The government on Monday ruled out the possibility of reducing duty to facilitate imports of refined white sugar.

Union agriculture minister Sharad Pawar, while inaugurating the three-day Krishi Vigyan Mela organised by Indian Agricultural Research Institute (IARI) here, said there was sufficient stock of sugar in the country.

In January, when the wholesale price of sugar was ruling above Rs 20 per kg, the minister had threatened the industry and trade that if the price did not fall to a desired level, the government would not hesitate to reduce customs duty to facilitate imports of refined white sugar. The import duty on sugar is 60%. However, to help the industry, the government had already allowed import of raw sugar against zero duty.

The government feels that with the highest release of sugar through quotas in January-March amounting to 44.5 lakh tonne, the price situation will be under control.

Mr Pawar also ruled out the possibility of extending any subsidy to cotton export. This year, on account lesser rains over cotton-growing areas, there was less incidence of pests and this led to a bumper cotton crop. The bumper cotton output had led to distress sales by farmers in certain parts of the country.

The government had then called upon the state procuring agencies to spring into action.

Mr Pawar said that there was a need to increase the per hectare yield of cotton which is low compared to the neighbouring China.

Meanwhile, scientists are confident that if there is no sudden rise in temperature at least till the first half of March, wheat output will touch 75 million tonne (MT).

“Good winter rains have resulted in timely flowering of wheat crop. If the winter temperatures remain at normal levels till the first week of March, the grains will ripen in time and there would be no loss to the standing wheat crop,” said Dr Jag Shoran of the directorate of wheat research.