Kerala - Kochi   

Traders call for strong farm sector

KOCHI: An open forum on the current price situation here on Tuesday called for strengthening of agriculture, using better technology inputs, including mechanisation, making it profitable for farmers. The open forum, organised by the Ernakulam Merchants’ Union, was aimed at clearing the air on various aspects of spiralling prices.

Noted journalist K.M. Roy was the moderator at the discussions in which nearly a 100 people, including leaders of various political parties and Sebastian Paul, MP, participated. Mundakkayam Sadashivan, CPI district secretary, Nedumbassery Ravi, district secretary of BJP, V.V. Joshi, state secretary of Kerala Congress (M) and P.M. Devassy, district secretary of the NCP were among the participants.

The failure of both the State and Union governments to address the situation came up for criticism during the discussions. Despite the fact there were indications of an impending shortage of food and possible price spiral the governments were unable to anticipate the seriousness of the problems, said a spokesman for the Merchants’ Union.

He also said that over the years, agriculture production had shrunk substantially in the State and successive governments had failed to address this problem. Implementation of the Swaminathan Committee recommendations, especially on use of technology, including information technology, should be taken up with due seriousness.

Another opinion that surfaced during the discussions was that the Ministries of Food and Civil Supplies and Agriculture were not given due importance. Food security should be treated on a par with national security, it was said.

Meanwhile, Grain Merchants’ Association, Mattancherry, has said that the grain dealers were going about their business in the right manner displaying price boards, stock registers and godown licences. In a statement here, the association described news reports -- in the wake of a visit by Food and Civil Supplies Minister C. Divakaran to the Mattancherry Bazar recently -- as a matter of regret for the grain merchants in the area.

The statement also said that the grain merchants were registered under Kerala Value Added Tax Act.

The daily rice stock position in Mattancherry Bazar is in the range of 5,000 to 6,000 bags. “Hence it is rather painful if it is said that they resort to black-marketing and hoarding,” the statement said.

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