The union agriculture minister Sharad Pawar on Friday said he did not oppose the National Food Security Bill, but he would prefer it to be approved by Parliament after a debate.

I am in favour of approving the food bill through discussion in Parliament, which is the highest forum," he said.

Earlier, Pawar had said that huge concessions on food grains could endanger food security and would harm the interests of farmers.

In a new twister version, he said today that said everybody in the government wanted it to be "cleared, approved and implemented."

"The issue is how...Whether through ordinance or debate in Parliament. I am not opposed to the bill," he said.

"The Opposition is also not against the food bill. They want something more and discussions are on," he said.

He, however, said to maintain consistency in food security, thrust should be on improving production, greater investment in agriculture, and adequate availability of power and fertilizer.