India no more depends on import of wheat and cotton: Pawar

The country earned foreign exchange worth Rs 2.32 lakh crore by exporting wheat and cotton to foreign countries, he said

The country earned foreign exchange worth Rs 2.32 lakh crore by exporting wheat and cotton to foreign countries, Union Agriculture Minister Sharad Pawar has said.

He was speaking at a function here last evening to inaugurate the Late Padmashri Bhausaheb Vartak and Indutai Vartak Vishramdham constructed at a cost of Rs 2 crore at Kelve in Palghar taluka.

The Vishramdham has been constructed by the Somavanshi Kshatriya Mahasangh to commemorate the birth centenary of Late Bhausaheb Vartak a visionary and social worker from Thane district.

In his speech, Pawar recollected the contribution of Vartak towards the development of Nariman Point as a business centre, setting up of the Nehru Science Centre and also his meticulous planning skills during the crisis of grains and food in the country and state.

"Five years ago our country used to import wheat and cotton, but the situation has changed now and we earn considerable foreign exchange by exporting these two products to foreign countries," he said.