National Agricultural Cooperative Marketing Federation Limited (Nafed) has begun the disposal of copra procured under the price support scheme of the Union government. The copra will be distributed to mills and agencies with milling facility on the condition that the commodity is to be used for crushing.
Nafed had procured 6,000 tonnes of copra during the current procurement season which began four months ago. The copra will be given to the buyers at the daily market rate, according to Nafed officials. Nafed will be monitoring the activity of the buying agencies to ensure that the copra is not resold in the market. An undertaking that the copra will be utilised only for crushing is to be provided to Nafed. Those who violate the agreement will have to face prosecution, a senior official told The Hindu .
While Nafed was appointed as the nodal agency for procurement under the price support scheme, the procurement in Kerala was carried out through two designated agencies – Kerala Kerakarshaka Sahakarana Federation Limited (Kerafed) and Kerala State Cooperative Marketing Federation Limited (Marketfed). The minimum support price of fair average quality (FAQ) ball copra was fixed at Rs.5,350 per quintal and that of dehusked coconut was fixed at Rs.1,400 per quintal.
Though the procured copra is being distributed to the mills, the procurement has not come to a close, the official said. The disposal of copra is being done now to facilitate availability of sufficient quantity of coconut oil during the Onam season when the demand is at its peak. But the largescale import and distribution of palm oil at subsidised rates would dampen the prospects of coconut oil, according to Coconut Development Board officials. A study of the import of palm oil into the country during 7 months from November 2011 to May 2012 in relation to the import done during the corresponding period (November 2010 to May 2011) in the previous year indicated a huge rise. Import of RBC palm oil had gone up from 5,51,327 quintals to 10,84,933 quintals.
