Punjab Congress president Amarinder Singh Raja Warring on Thursday demanded lifting of ban on the export of wheat from the country.
Warring, in a letter to the Prime Minister Narendra Modi, said that the ban needs to be reconsidered since the country has already adequate buffer stocks available and there is a growing demand in the international market for wheat.
The state Congress chief also urged Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann to take up the matter with the Prime Minister as the ban on export of wheat has caused maximum loss to Punjab farmers.
“Godowns and warehouses across the country are full to the capacity and a considerable quantity of wheat is rotting. In fact, this has been happening for a long time”, he said, adding that now was the time when India could export surplus wheat to the needy countries when supplies from Russia and Ukraine have completely stopped due to the war.
Warring pointed out that there was a growing demand for wheat from many countries and the prices had gone up. “Such opportunities do not come very often, so we must relax the ban and allow our farmers to get benefitted from the favourable marketing conditions prevailing right now,” he observed.
Punjab Congress chief said that he understood the concerns of the Government of India to ensure availability of food in the country as also prevent rise in the prices, particularly in view of the growing inflation on food products. At the same time, he said that available data suggested that the country had adequate buffer stock and the production was also very good this year and the country can afford to spare the surplus quantity for exports.
Besides, Warring added, lifting the ban on exports will raise the status of the country globally as the world is in desperate need of wheat. “It will be doubly beneficial for us”, he said, while hoping that the Prime Minister will consider the demand favourably.