Union Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan on Tuesday took aim at the former UPA government, questioning its handling of sugar and farm policies during years of high production.
Referring to the record sugar output in 2006–07, Chouhan asked why no buffer stock was created at the time to protect farmers when prices later crashed. He also questioned the logic of importing sugar at Rs 36 per kg while exporting it at Rs 12.50 per kg, according to a report by The Times of India.
The minister also raised concerns over the UPA’s decision not to implement the recommendations of the Swaminathan Committee, which proposed fixing the minimum support price (MSP) at 50 per cent above the cost of production. He said the then government had argued in an affidavit that such a move would distort the market.
Chouhan said it was Prime Minister Narendra Modi who later decided to ensure MSP at 50 per cent above production costs.
He further claimed that India was largely self-sufficient in edible oils until 1993–94, but import dependence increased after the Congress-led government placed edible oils under the open general licence system.
The minister also alleged that large quantities of foodgrain were lying unused in warehouses even as the Supreme Court of India had suggested distributing them to the poor. He claimed the UPA government opposed the court’s intervention and said Congress leader Rahul Gandhi should respond to these issues.
