The government’s NSSO report does not support Union agriculture minister Sharad Pawar’s theory that the change in food habits of Indians is responsible for the price rise.
Minister accused of diverting attention from real issues
NEW DELHI: The government’s National Sample Survey Organisation (NSSO) report does not support Union agriculture minister Sharad Pawar’s theory that the change in food habits of Indians is responsible for the price rise. On Tuesday, Pawar had theorised that states in the south and north-east, which were earlier consuming rice, are now asking for wheat supply under the public distribution system, thus overburdening it.
According to the report, eating habits have changed, with more families consuming cereals, though individuals are consuming lesser quantities of cereals and eating more pulses, vegetables and poultry products, which is a healthy trend. But it does not explain the price rise.
“It is happening due to other factors,” said food policy analyst Devinder Sharma, accusing the minister of trying to divert attention. He said this year has seen record production of food. The government’s releases also back this argument.
The NSSO report, a survey initiated in the year 1950, is a nation-wide, large-scale, continuous survey operation conducted in the form of successive rounds. The percentage of households consuming rice went up marginally in rural areas and by 6% in urban areas, while households consuming wheat went up by 9% in rural areas and 15% in urban areas.
The agriculture ministry’s assessment is based on the feedback received from the states and validated with the information available from other sources. As per the second advance estimates for 2007-08, total food grain production is estimated at 219.32 million tonnes comprising 94.08 million tonnes of rice, 74.81 million tonnes of wheat, 36.09 million tonnes of coarse cereals and 14.34 million tonnes of pulses. All these are all-time records.
s_rajesh@dnaindia.net
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