India, one of the world's leading grain producers, is evolving a long-term policy on export of farm goods and could soon emerge as a global player on grains, government officials said on Saturday. Industry officials say the lack of a consistent government policy had cost exporters dearly and robbed the country of regular buyers of its wheat and rice in Southeast Asia, the Middle East and Europe. Indian grain exports have been on hold since August 2003, when the government stopped issuing grains to exporters as stocks fell due to robust overseas sales and a drought in 2002.
"We are getting there, the analysis is on," Farm Secretary Radha Singh told a grains conference. "We are definitely heading for a grains export policy."
She said the policy was unlikely to be in place before the federal budget to be presented to parliament in February.
Singh said the grains and oilseeds crop to be harvested in the summer months of March and April was expected to be good with ideal weather conditions and more area coverage in some crops.