Use of food grains for bio fuels worrisome
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03/04/2008
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Tribune (New Delhi)
India has expressed concern over the increasing use of food grains for the production of bio fuels. Stating India's position at the "Third International Grain Summit-2008' at Sharm-el Sheikh, Egypt, minister of state for food and public distribution Akhilesh Prasad Singh said this had resulted in an unprecedented increase in their prices making the food grains unaffordable for poor population of the world. Akhilesh Singh is leading a six-member high-level delegation. Critical issues concerning the global and special food security are being discussed at the summit. Highlighting challenges facing the Indian government in ensuring food security for its population, he said efforts were being made to raise the annual production of food grains in the country from 2,010 million tonnes to 23250 million tonnes in the next five years. He said India was hopeful of procuring enough wheat for its public distribution system from the domestic supplies. The minister also met Russian deputy agriculture minister Andrey Slepnev to discuss bilateral cooperation in field of agriculture with special emphasis on international wheat scenario.