Centre will buy 2 mn tonnes of sugar as buffer: Pawar

Mumbai, June 4 (UNI) Union Agriculture Minister Sharad Pawar today said the government is in the process of purchasing 2 million tonnes of sugar as an additional buffer stock to check falling prices of the commodity.

Talking to reporters after inaugurating the Logistics Park of Central Warehousing Corporation (CWC) at Navi Mumbai, Mr Pawar said the government has already issued orders to have buffer stock of 2 million tonnes of sugar which may be increased.

This year, Maharashtra--the largest sugar producer--had a bumper sugarcane crop. As a result, about 40,000 tonne sugarcane remains uncrushed, forcing the farmers to launch agitations.

The country has a comfortable stock of wheat and there is no need to import the same, Mr Pawar added .

Meanwhile, Food and Public Distribution secretary Nanda Kumar, who was also present at the function, said the government may cut the duty on edible oil in near future to have buffer stock in order to check the prices and increase the supply.

UNI