Expecting a good wheat harvest this season, the government is confident of surpassing the wheat procurement target this year. Consequently, it feels there would be no need to import wheat in the current year.
The government expects to purchase 17 million tonne for the buffer stock, exceeding the target of 15 million tonne.
Agriculture minister Sharad Pawar said: ?I am confident that the government designated agencies will be able to procure 16 to 17 million tonne wheat for the buffer stock. In the last 10 days, the cumulative procurement of wheat in Punjab and Haryana was 99.6% of the total market arrival. The government designated agencies have so far purchased 8.6 million tonne wheat from different parts of the country.?
Pawar was speaking to mediapersons on the sidelines of the conference of state agriculture ministers on Wednesday.
The minister said there would be no need to import wheat in the current year. He instead hinted at possible grain exports, saying, ?African countries are keen to buy grains from India.?
According to the third official estimates released on Wednesday, foodgrain output in 2007-08 was a record 227.32 million tonne, including rice output of 95.68 mt, wheat output of 76.78 mt, coarse cereals of 39.67 mt and pulses output of 15.19 mt. Oilseeds production was at 28.21 mt and sugarcane at 344.23 million tonne. Cotton output was likely at 23.19 million bales of 170 kg each, while jute production was at 10.56 million bales of 180 kg each and mesta output at 0.97 million bales of 180 kg each.
Meanwhile, the State Trading Corporation of India (STC) on Wednesday invited bids for the sale of 2,582 tonne of imported Australian dun peas.
State-run trading firm PEC has also invited bids for import of 12,000 tonne of edible oil and 9,000 tonne of pulses to boost domestic supplies.
The bids for purchase of RBD palmolein would close on April 25 and the decision on a tender would be taken on the same day, the company said on its website. In a separate tender, PEC has invited bids for import of 9,000 tons of pulses. The tender would close on April 29 and the decision on the same would be taken by May 6.