. It will also boost the quantities of food grains to be sold at subsidized prices to low income people.   

Food prices have soared since weak monsoon rains last summer lowered productivity of crops such as rice, sugar, lentils and oilseeds. Prices of sugar and potatoes have doubled in recent months, and rice is up by nearly 30 per cent.

The high prices are hurting middle income and poor people, who spend a large portion of their income on food. Nearly half of India's more than one billion people live on less than two dollars a day, and many are coping by cutting back on the quantities of food they usually buy.    

The government says it has enough food stocks to meet demand during difficult times. Agriculture Minister Sharad Pawar is calling on state governments to ensure that traders do not hold back food supplies from the market.     

"State governments are again being advised to strictly enforce the measures to stop hoarding by traders, and to take stern action against hoarders under powers vested with them," said Pawar.

The government is hoping prices will begin to fall in the coming weeks, particularly if farmers reap a good winter harvest.

But soaring food prices are not the only worry for the government. Inflation exceeded seven per cent in December - the highest rate in more than a year.

Economists say the high inflation rate may prompt the government to gradually begin withdrawing stimulus measures such as low interest rates, which helped the economy recover from the global financial crisis.
本栏目更多同类内容

将本页收藏到:
上一篇:小小手机屏幕上的大战争
下一篇:海地地震 30万人无家可归
※相关链接※

最新更新
论坛精彩内容
网站地图 - 学习交流 - 恒星英语论坛 - 关于我们 - 广告服务 - 帮助中心 - 联系我们
Copyright ©2006-2007 www.Hxen.com All Rights Reserved