Tamil Nadu   

KC(J) seeks Centre's help for farmers

Special Correspondent

NEW DELHI: The Kerala Congress (J) on Wednesday urged the Centre to intervene and help the farmers of the State who have been suffering on account of instability in the prices of major spices and cash crops.

In a memorandum to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, the party suggested that the Government include coconut, areca nut, pepper, tea, coffee, cardamom, vanilla, rubber and other agricultural produce in the national agricultural insurance scheme; raise import duty on all produce to the WTO compatible level; review all free trade agreements in the country to avoid reduction in import duty on agricultural produce; encourage organic farming; enact legislation to constitute a permanent national debt relief commission; urgently review/restore the twice reduced import duty on palm group of oils; and prevent import of natural rubber under zero/reduced import duty into the country.

The delegation, which included party general secretaries P.C. Thomas and K. Francis George, was assured by the Prime Minister that the demands would be looked into. He suggested that value addition was needed to make agricultural produce competitive globally.

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