Andhra Pradesh - Tirupati   

Centre urged to curb import of oil

Staff Reporter

Chandrappan regrets lack of comprehensive policy to encourage oilseed production

TIRUPATI: All-India Kisan Sabha (AIKS) president and Member of Parliament C.K. Chandrappan has urged the Central Government to curb import of edible oils and take steps to continue support to the farming community.

He expressed fear that the country could be pushed to the brink of an agrarian crisis if the Government did not come up with a comprehensive policy to encourage oilseed production. According to him, lack of encouragement and support had resulted in the drastic fall of oil production from 20 million tonnes during 1980-90 to less than 14 million tonnes now.

Presiding over the national convention of `Coconut, groundnut and oilseed growers' here on Wednesday, Mr. Chandrappan attributed the suicide of two lakh farmers across the country in the recent times to liberalisation and also the absence of a clear policy to tackle the situation.

"The situation of groundnut, soyabean, oilpalm and coconut growers is no different. When the farmer is already struggling for remunerative prices, the unabated flow of oil in the form of imports has come as a bolt from the blue", he regretted.

Demanding the Government to take up a study to assess the scope for export of edible oils, he also mooted the idea of framing a national policy exclusively for oilseed development. He announced that the CPI would exert pressure on the various state Governments through its elected representatives to render justice to oilseed growers.

CPI flays State

CPI State secretary K. Narayana lambasted the state Government for going back on its poll-eve promises and wreaking havoc on the farm sector.

AIKS Vice-president Kolli Nageswara Rao saw the need to bridge the gap between policymakers and farmers.

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