Russia-Ukraine conflict: India worried about impact on India’s farming sector, says FM

Chennai, Feb. 28 (PTI): India is more worried about the impact caused by the standoff between Ukraine and Russia, particularly on its exports, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman said on Monday.

Interacting with industry captains at an event here, Sitharaman said the Centre was seized of the matter and discussions were on between ministries for a “complete assessment” on the issue.

“On the larger issue of the situation prevailing in Ukraine and about India’s position in the UN Security Council and so on. It is widely open and I went through the press releases and press commentaries which the External Affairs ministry is making,” she said.

Voicing concern over the country’s imports and exports from Russia and the war-torn nation, she said, “As regards to what is going to have a bearing on our immediate imports and equally on our exports to Ukraine, we are rightly worried about what comes from there, but I am more worried, about what is going to happen to our exporters who are doing very well, particularly to the farming sector…,”

To a query on the ongoing crisis in Ukraine, Sitharaman said, “We are already looking at an emergent situation but I will have to have a complete assessment done through the various concerned Ministries and then only be in a position to comment on it.”

She however, assured that the government was fairly seized of the matter in its granular form, as it is going to have an impact on the essentials like edible oil coming from Ukraine and so on. India is currently engaged in bringing back the students stranded in Ukraine following the stand-off and as on Monday the sixth flight under India’s evacuation mission ‘Operation Ganga’ left for New Delhi from Budapest with 240 Indian nationals.