Political stability necessary for state’s progress: Pawar

Stressing on stability in the state, the Union Agriculture Minister and the Nationalist Congress Party president, Mr Sharad Pawar said if there was no stability and peace then the state would suffer and subsequently the country too would suffer; especially given the prominence of Goa as an international tourist spot.

Mr Pawar, speaking about the crisis of rising prices in the country, said that the problem of rice and wheat was solved and the country had a stock reserve for two years - but admitted that sugar still continued to be a problem. He said, "We are making efforts to import it in a big way," explaining that the crop cycle of sugarcane was long and hence the problem. The Union Agriculture Minister also pointed out that - ironically - only a year and half ago, India was suffering from plenty of sugarcane and there were no godowns to store the yield.