New sugar export policy on cards: Govt

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SME Times News Bureau | 11 Sep, 2015
The Ministry of Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution is intensely engaged with an exercise to evolve a systematic and regularized sugar export policy in view of consistently rising domestic sugar production which by end of current sugar season is likely to turn surplus by 10 million tonnes, discloses its Secretary Vrinda Sarup.

Addressing a Conference on "Warehousing Management: Minimizing Losses-Maximizing Growth", organized under aegis of PHD Chamber of Commerce and Industry here today, Ms. Sarup also announced that her ministry is making serious efforts to involve private sector in its procurement policy, especially for India's northern eastern belt.

"The reality of the days is that the farmers want their involvement and engagement more in growing sugar crops for obvious reasons, leading to its increased production each year in the last couple of years which causes surplus sugar. It is in this background that the government has decided to put in place a perennial sugar export policy not only for Africa and China but also for countries surrounding India", said Sarup.

Without divulging the time span by when such a policy would fall in public domain, the Secretary said that the exercise for proposed sugar export policy was on as by the end of present sugar season, India's production will exceed surplus by 10 million tonnes, she emphasized.

The Secretary pointed out that though the warehousing facilities for grains are largely concentrated in the public sector domain and the emerging trends suggests increasing number of private sector participation to create capacities in this sector, the need for broad base private sector participation in warehousing sector becomes much more palpable and tangible.

She also added that private sector participation was also being enlisted in government's procurement policies which would begin from northern eastern part of the country and the Food Corporation of India (FCI) would come out with necessary tenders for the job in next couple of weeks.

Senior Vice President of the PHD Chamber Dr. Mahesh Gupta in his welcome remarks praised the approach of the government of the day towards industry and all other stakeholders in a equitable manner and emphasized the need for food reforms including increase of capacities in the warehousing sector with private sector participation.

Among others present on the occasion comprised Managing Director, Central Warehousing Corporation Harpreet Singh; Executive Director, Food Corporation of India, Abhishek Singh; Managing Director, Karnataka State Warehousing Corporation and Secretary, National Association of Warehousing Corporation of India M B Rajesh Gowda; Diretor & Head, Grains & Oilseeds-India & Bangladesh Cargill India Pvt. Ltd. Bal Anand; CEO Agriwatch V N Saroja and Chairman, Logistics management Committee of the PHD Chamber R S Bedi.