Union Agriculture Minister Sharad Pawar presides over the fortunes of a sector that is crucial to the Centre’s target of 7 per cent GDP growth. It was expected to deliver 4 per cent growth each year since 1997, but is yet to achieve it. Under fire from all quarters, Pawar was on the offensive against all the allegations levelled against him. Excerpts from an e-mail interview with BW ’s M. Rajendran:

People in your ministry warned you about the need to import food grains, but you failed to give any direction…
This assertion surprises me. Over the past two years, India has produced food grain in ample quantity and we have been able to meet people’s demand fully. Even today we have ample stocks of wheat and rice. In such circumstances, issue of importing food grains just does not arise. In fact, no such proposal was ever discussed or considered by the ministry in 2009-10.

Despite suggestion for importing sugar, palm oil and pulses after the droughtlike situation, you perhaps turned down the proposal.
This is a completely erroneous impression. The proposal to import sugar on advance authorisation was first mooted on 19 December 2008 in the ministry. The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA) cleared it on 28 January 2009. Besides this, the proposal for importing sugar on zero import duty was sent to CCEA after obtaining comments of all concerned ministries on 17 March. The proposal was cleared by the Cabinet on 9 April 2009. Regarding pulses, the public sector units and cooperatives have been allowed to import pulses with a reimbursement of their losses, to the extent of 15 per cent of landed cost. This scheme has been in operation since 2007. Similarly for increasing the supply of edible oil, the import duties on crude and refined edible oils have been brought down to zero and 7.5 per cent, respectively since April 2008... much before the drought-like situation arose. There is no question of any deliberate delay in taking decisions.

The delay to give directions for sugar imports has benefited the local sugar mills but not the sugarcane growers. Do you agree?
There was absolutely no delay in initiating sugar imports. In fact, the average rate of Rs 2,600 per tonne being paid to farmers this year is unprecedented.

It is also alleged that, you chose to ignore inputs from state governments on the rising price of food articles…
You have wrongly inferred that the Centre has not been proactive in initiating steps for augmenting food production. Schemes such as National Food Security Mission and Integrated Scheme for Oilseeds, Pulses, Oilpalm and Maize are all geared towards enhancing food production. Ministry of Consumer Affairs which looks after the issue of food prices has effectively monitored the situation and the central government has initiated innumerable schemes to check the rising prices and provided food grain, sugar, pulses, etc., at subsidised rates to the common man.