The Hindu : National : Foreign trade policy will hit farmers: Sinha

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Wednesday, Sep 01, 2004

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Foreign trade policy will hit farmers: Sinha

By Our Special Correspondent

NEW DELHI, AUG. 31. The Bharatiya Janata Party has criticised the United Progressive Alliance Government's foreign trade policy announced today, saying it failed to protect the interests of farmers besides making Indian agricultural products uncompetitive in the global market.

"The UPA Government succumbed at the WTO and failed to protect the interests of the country's farmers. Except in name, the foreign trade policy announced today is the Exim Policy that the Governments earlier presented,'' the senior BJP leader and former Finance Minister, Yashwant Sinha, said.

"We see no merit in the foreign trade policy. In fact, liberalising import of seeds, bulbs and tubers will hit the biotech sector in which we are the world leader,'' Mr. Sinha said at a press conference here today.

He termed "dangerous'' the decision to allow import of food items by hotels and restaurants. The policy did not specify whether it was for the raw, packaged or processed food. "This can hit the farmers very badly as they will have a new difficulty selling their products.''

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