PM, Pawar meet today on export issues

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh has called a meeting tomorrow to deliberate on the objections raised by Agriculture Minister Sharad Pawar over export of farm commodities like sugar and cotton.

The prime minister will chair two meetings tomorrow and one of these would be on agricultural products, Commerce and Industry Minister Anand Sharma said today.

Pawar had earlier said: “There is no problem on rice and wheat exports. The question comes about cotton and sugar exports. We are discussing this subject on April 30 and will take some view.”

Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee, Food Minister K V Thomas and Commerce Minister Anand Sharma would attend the meeting.

Pawar had played down the issue of differences cropping within the government on export of farm items.

“There is nothing like that. The decision to export more sugar has been taken. All these issues (export of agri items) are decided together... There are no differences nor there is any intention to corner anyone,” Pawar had earlier said.