Duty on wheat import for private trade to be notified soon:Pawar

New Delhi, Sep 5 (UNI) After a meeting with Prime Minister and Finance Minister, Agriculture and Food Minister Sharad Pawar today dispelled the confusion over zero duty for wheat imports by private trade saying ''this concession will be officially notified within a day or two''.

'' The decision to allow private trade to import on zero duty has already been taken but I could not communicate it to Mr V P Singh, Chairman of the Central Board of Excise and Customs", Mr Pawar told the waiting mediapersons after about two-hour-long meeting with Dr Manmohan Singh at his 7 Race Course Road.

Mr V P Singh in his own position was right to say that five per cent duty on wheat import by private trade remains in place, Mr Pawar added.

He, however, said this one-time duty concession for private trade will be applicable till December 30 this year. And the duty was waived because the wheat was not available to the millers and bread and biscuit manufacturers.

Mr Pawar denied there was any difference with Finance Minister P Chidambaram who was present in his meeting with the Prime Minister. Planning Commission's Deputy Chairman Montek Singh Ahluwalia and Agriculture Secretary Radha Singh also attended the meeting.

Actually, the delay in communicating the decision on waiving off the import tariff to CBEC was also emanated from the fact that the STC was to finalise the tenders it had floated for import of 16.5 lakh tonnes of wheat today itself.

The State Trading Corporation (STC), a public sector body has been importing wheat on zero duty to build up the wheat buffer as the procurement of commodity during the outgoing harvest was around 9.2 million tonne, much less than previous year's 14.8 million tonne.

Mr Pawar said after December the country would not be needing any import of the wheat and next crop would also be three months away.

On the other hand,the government would encourage the farmers from West Bengal, Bihar and Orissa to take up cultivation of wheat at big way thereby to build a food security.

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