Government of India Department of Food. Fourth All-India Food Conference held in New Delhi on 13th 14th 15th and 16th October 1943

2-30 P. M. to 4.30 P. M. Explanation of the attitude of the Food Department to recommendtions of the Foodgrains Policy Committee that concern the Food Department and are for the Department to initilte or complete action i.e. [...] If there is one thing that the tragic events of the past few months have demonstrated it is the fact of the economic unity of India and the inter-dependence of the several provinces and States on each other and on their combined resources. [...] If ' are to convince the world and the Allied Nations and we must convince them of the justification for the allocation of precious shipping for the importation of food we must convince them that we have gone to the utmost to help ourselves. [...] The only exception to this order that I shall permit in future is the export of small quantities of foodgrains for provisioning ships sailing from Indian ports and for the use of the Indian seamen of the merchant navy within the confines of the Indian Ocean on whose courage and devotion so much depends. [...] To give the position of Assam in a nutshell I can say that rice is the staple food of the people the crop is harvested in 3 different times of the year.