By IANS
New Delhi : The Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-M) Wednesday condemned the government’s decision to import nearly 800,000 tonnes of wheat at Rs.1,600 per quintal.
“When the production of wheat increased by six million tonnes to nearly 75 million tones this year, there was absolutely no justification for such an import. It will only benefit the MNCs in European countries who have got a lucrative price,” the party said in a statement.
It said that when Indian farmers demanded remunerative prices for wheat procurement, the government fixed only Rs.850 a quintal though the market price was higher.
“As a result, the FCI (Food Corp of India) failed to procure sufficient quantity of wheat while private traders could purchase huge quantity and store them in their godowns, creating an artificial scarcity in the country.
“Instead of taking stringent action against unscrupulous traders, the UPA (United Progressive Alliance) government resorted to the route of import, which only helped the private traders to make ill-gotten money by boosting the domestic price of wheat.”
The CPI-M sought an end to the policy of import of wheat and urged the government to unearth the stock of wheat cornered by the traders and to increase the supply of wheat through the public distribution system.