Bihar has procured record quantity of wheat from farmers this year, prompting Union Agriculture Minister Sharad Pawar to thank Bihar CM Nitish Kumar.
But, Kumar's request for lifting ban on maize export has remained unanswered.
The state procured 3.06 lakh tonne wheat this year under minimum support price of Rs 1,000.
In a letter addressed to Nitish Kumar, Union Agriculture Minister Sharad Pawar said "I would like to congratulate the state government on efforts made to ensure high procurement of wheat".
Regarding Bihar CM's request for carrying excess stock of the grain from the state, Pawar in his letter said Food Corporation of India (FCI) have been asked to move 0.8 lakh tonne of wheat.
Close to 0.5 lakh tonne of the stock has already been moved by June, officials said.
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FCI has also been asked to hire extra storage space in the state to stockpile the remaining grain.
Regarding lifting ban on maize export, Kumar had said Pawar and Prime Minister Manmohan Singh in separate letters, "The agricultural roadmap of Bihar envisages an increase in production of maize and the ban on its export will slow down efforts to improve agricultural productivity. It would affect country's food security."
Bihar produces 1.7 metric tonnes of maize annually — about 10 per cent of the country's maize production.
Stating that maize was mainly grown by small farmers and it was their lone source of livelihood, Kumar said the ban on ex its exports had led to fall in the prices of the crop.