Prices would come down soon; SEZs not to affect farmers: PM

New Delhi, Mar 8 (UNI) Prime Minister Manmohan Singh today said the government was confident of bringing down the prices of essential commodities soon and resolving the controversy over acquisition of farmers' land for setting up Special Economic Zones (SEZs).

The measures taken by the Centre and the Reserve Bank of India would ''I am convinced will have the desired effect'' in reining in the spiralling inflation, Dr Singh said in his reply to the debate in the Lok Sabha on the Motion of Thanks to the President's address.

Admitting that the government was finding it difficult to check the rising prices in the wake of the spurt in the costs of oil seeds, pulses and petroleum products in the international market, the Prime Minister said the steps taken by the RBI to moderate the growth of money supply and by Finance Minister P Chidambaram to cut import duty on essential commodities would help ease inflationary pressures.

In the medium term, the government would evolve a more effective strategy to increase the production of vegetable oil and pulses.

''This will be our priority concern during the 11th Plan'' beginning next month, he said.

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