Ban on export of potatoes
Special relief for paddy procurement
Tribune News Service

NEW DELHI, Oct 26 — Alarmed by the increasing prices of essential commodities, the Union Government has restricted the export of potatoes and onions and put import of pulses under the Open General Licence (OGL) list.

In a major relief for Punjab and Haryana farmers, the government also announced that it was relaxing the specifications for paddy procurement by Central and state agencies.

The Directorate-General of Foreign Trade under the Commerce Ministry, which had earlier instructed NAFED, the sole canalising agency, to restrict the export of onions for two months today added potatoes under the restricted list.

According to the public notice issued by the DGFT, export of potatoes in all forms have been restricted till December 31, this year.

Also the addition of pulses along with onions in the OGL list would make imports of the essential commodity easier and ensure early supplies to the domestic market.

The Union Commerce Minister, Mr Ramakrishna Hegde told newspersons after a Union Cabinet meeting that the decisions were taken to contain the acute shortage of these items in the open market.

Putting onions and potatoes under the restricted list would mean that their exports would now require licence from the Commerce Ministry, which is unlikely to be granted to any agency for the next two months.

Meanwhile, in a far reaching move, the Union Food Minister, Mr Surjit Singh Barnala, announced that the Government had decided to relax the specifications for paddy procurement in Punjab and Haryana. The specifications have been relaxed from the existing 3 per cent to 8 per cent.

The decision was taken after a Central team of the Food Ministry gave a report to the Government on the damages suffered by farmers in Punjab and Haryana.

Relaxation of specifications of paddy was only one of the demands raised by the Punjab Government and it had also asked for an assistance of Rs 300 crore.

The Union Minister of State for Industry, Mr Sukhbir Badal, told TNS that he would lead an all-party delegation of MPs from Punjab to meet the Prime Minister and ask for speedy relief. The Prime Minister had earlier assured a delegation of BJP MPs from Punjab that a package would be announced on Monday.

The MPs are expected to urge the Prime Minister to clear the assistance at the earliest.