NEW DELHI: If one goes by evidence, the recent news report that the US agricultural secretary, Edward Madgan, would not recommend the sale of a million tons of wheat sought by India if India sells rice to Cuba may not be an unfounded one, as the government is making it out to be.
Denials on the issue, which has spared off arrow in Parliament, by the government on Thursday and the promise of a statement in this regard by the commerce minister, P. Chidambaram, notwithstanding, a combined reading of answers in the Parliament during the current budget session show that US government may indeed have expected pressure on India to not export rice to Cuba in return for one million tons of wheat. The timing of the statement by the US agriculture secretary 100 reinforces this interference.
On March 5, the ministry of external affairs stated in reply to a Lok Sabha question (unstated no.1480) by Partap Rao P. Bhonsle that the Cuban foreign minister had visited India from December 16 t0 December 27,1991, during which various issues on the scope Indo-Cuban trade exchanges were discussed. Further, the reply stated that as a result of this, the Cuban minister of foreign trade visited India romFeb.9-12, 1992. On March 3 the commerce ministry said in reply to a Rajyab Sabha question (un starred no, 781) that during its visit in February 1992, the Cuban foreign trade delegation had requested India for the supply of (0.5 million tons (m t) of wheat and 0.1 m t of rice.
“It has not been possible to accede to the Cuban request for the present,” the statement added.
What could have been the prevailing reason for this rejection of the Cuban request? It is definitely not shortage of rice during the year. For, on the very same day the food ministry had given the following reply to another question by R-Dhanushkodi Athithan (un starred no.1059). It {said that, on Jan.1, the customary date on which food stock position is assessed every year by the public agencies, the total rice stocks stood at 9.32 m t as against 7.7 m t ton required by the buffer stocking policy meaning a rice surplus of 16 times what Cuba had requested for.
The Cuban request, according to the government’s own statement, was, however, denied. Since sound economics and even the current export enhancement drive should have resulted in agreeing to export rice to Cuba, the denial could have only have been at the behest of the USA.
There was, however, a shortfall (0f 2.3 mt in wheat arising out of a requirement of 7.7 mt against an existing stock of 5.4 mt.
Article extracted from this publication >> March 20, 1992
