The Congress on May 14 hit out at the government over the ban on the export of wheat, saying it was an "anti-farmer" measure as it deprives farmers of reaping the benefit of higher export prices. According to an official notification, India has banned wheat exports with immediate effect as part of measures to control rising domestic prices.
Asked about the government's move at a press conference on the second day of the Congress' ongoing 'Chintan Shivir' in Udaipur, senior leader and former Finance Minister P. Chidambaram said, "I presume that it is because the Central government has failed to procure enough wheat. It is not that wheat production has come down, it is more or less the same. In fact, it may be marginally more." Chidambaram said that on Friday, a Chhattisgarh Minister had told him that the government there had procured 97 lakh tonnes of paddy.
