Karnataka - Mangalore   

Protest planned against import of palm oil

MANGALORE: Farmers from Karnataka and farmers’ representatives from neighbouring States will stage a demonstration here on November 23 to protest against import of palm oil from Malaysia and the Philippines through the New Mangalore Port (NMP).

They will take out a procession from Mangalore Central railway station and stage a demonstration in front of the port.

Farmers’ leaders, under the banner South Indian Coordination Committee of Farmers Movements (SICCFM), told presspersons here on Wednesday that imports were being routed through the NMP after the Kerala Government stopped importing the oil through the ports in that State following a Kerala High Court directive.

Farmers’ organisations in Kerala had petitioned the High Court, they said.

Spokesperson of the SICCFM Kannaiyan said that imports of inexpensive agricultural produces such as edible oil, pulses, spices, sugar and arecanut were having disastrous impact on domestic production.

The leaders claimed that palm oil being imported through NMP was finding its way to Kerala. They demanded that governments of various States, particularly Karnataka, take measures to stop import of palm oil.

Working president of Karnataka Rajya Raitha Sangha Kodihalli Chandrashekar said oilseed production in the State had come down by half since palm oil imports began in 2002. Groundnut oil, coconut oil and sunflower oil were being adulterated with this inexpensive oil, he said.

He hoped that the Karnataka Government would discourage genetically modified (GM) crops in view of insufficient field trials on them and keeping the future of agriculture in mind.

Mr. Chandrashekar said that the State Government was following an archaic method to calculate compensation for crop loss in flood-affected areas.

The sangha has demanded compensation of Rs. 20,000 a hectare in rain-fed areas and Rs. 25,000 a hectare in irrigated lands. Davison, secretary, Kerala Coconut Farmers Association, and Suresh Babu, its general secretary, were among those present.

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