No more wheat import: Paswan

NEW DELHI: The government will not import wheat in the coming months as it has adequate buffer stock to meet domestic demand under the public distribution system, Food Minister Ram Vilas Paswan said on Friday.

The minister told reporters that the government will evaluate reimposition of import duty on wheat to boost supplies and ensure price stability in the domestic market.

Till March 2017, India is likely to import 3.85 million tonnes of wheat, with arrivals till date at ports hovering between 1.6 million tonnes and 1.7 million tonnes, according to the industry. “That situation (to import wheat) may not arise as we have adequate stock in the central pool to meet the PDS requirement,” said Paswan.

While the industry has voiced concern over the agriculture ministry’s wheat production data for 2015-16, Paswan said they will go by the government target figure of 96.50 million tonnes of wheat output for 2016-17.