DANGER OF FAMINE

Gisborne Herald, Volume LXXIII, Issue 21934, 31 January 1946, Page 5

DANGER OF FAMINE

INDIAN CONCERN FAILURE OF CROPS BIG IMPORTS NECESSARY [(10.45 a.m.) LONDON, Jan. 30. India is threatened with a famine more .extensive than that in Bengal in 1943 unless more imports of grain from overseas are received than are at present in sight, says The Times correspondent in Delhi. A further serious deterioration in the rice and millet crops in southern India was reported a.t a food conference at Delhi. The Central Government had prepared its rice and millet budget in October, but by the third week in December the crop forecasts for Madras and Mysore were written down by more than 1,500,000 tons because of the cyclone- and drought. The latest figures show additional losses of more than 1,000,000 tons of rice and millet in Madras and Mysore. The failure of the winter rains has affected the wheat crop in northwestern India. It is estimated that it will be necessary to import at least 2,000,000 tons of food grains this year to avert famine. The general impression is that this is much more than has been promised.