Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar has made a case before Prime Minister Manmohan Singh for removal of the recently imposed ban on maize export. At 1.7 million tonne, the state accounts for about 10 per cent of the country’s total maize output.
“The recent ban on export has led to depressed market conditions…the price of maize before the ban hovered around Rs 732 a quintal…the price has now crashed to Rs 500-600 a quintal. The procurement of maize by buyers has also come down drastically,” Kumar has stated in a letter to PM.
The union government had banned maize export (till October 15) on July 3 as an anti-inflationary measure. Inflation has been hovering close to 12 per cent for the last few weeks.
“Maize in mainly produced by small farmers. For some farmers, maize production is the only source of livelihood. It has affected the poor farmers who were already facing the heat of price rise on all fronts including rise in price of agricultural inputs like diesel,” Kumar said.
Kumar claimed that maize is not a major contributor to the wholesale price index (WPI). In spite of the fact that maize is not a major contributor to the WPI, the export has been banned, he said. “The ban on export would slow down our efforts to improve agricultural productivity, which would finally affect the country’s food security. I would be grateful if the ban on export of maize be lifted so that the poor farmers are not adversely affected," he added.