SME Times News Bureau | 25 Apr, 2012
Punjab Tuesday asked the central
government to allow the export of wheat to Pakistan and CIS countries
through the Attari checkpost as the state's produce may cross a record
115 lakh tonnes this year.
Deputy Chief Minister Sukhbir Singh
Badal said that allowing export of wheat to Pakistan and the
Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) would help farmers to get
remunerative prices for their agriculture produce.
The exports
could take place through the Integrated Check Post (ICP) at Attari near
Amritsar, 300-km from here. Badal said that the Empowered Group of
Ministers (EGOM) is meeting in New Delhi Wednesday to take a decision on
allowing exports of sugar and cotton.
It should also
contemplate exporting wheat as this year Punjab and other wheat
producing states are set to witness record production of the crop.
He
said that Punjab was facing a peculiar crisis for storing wheat and
asked the central government to get the stocks lifted from warehouses.
Badal
said that grain markets in Punjab could face a glut as the wheat
produce is likely to cross the target of 115 lakh tonnes this year.
He
said that allowing export of wheat through the Attari ICP to Pakistan
and other CIS countries could solve the twin problem of storage and
extra production besides giving remunerative price to farmers.
