Govt may allow sugar export today

Last December,Food and Agriculture Minister Sharad Pawar announced sugar exports to the tune of 5 lakh tonnes. Over three months later,an Empowered Group of Ministers,headed by Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee,is slated to meet on Tuesday to consider operationalising the announcement.

The government had withheld Pawars decision during the spurt in food inflation and the issue was referred to the EgoM for final approval. Since then the Food Ministry is no longer with Pawar; it has been handed over to K V Thomas in the Cabinet re-shuffle in January. Thomas,it seems,has not been comfortable with the proposition of sugar exports,given high level of food inflation.