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The Union Minister of State for Agriculture and Farmers Welfare Shobha Karandlaje has said her department has sent a proposal to the Directorate General of Foreign Trade (DGFT) to increase the minimum import price (MIP) for arecanut from the existing ₹251 a kg to ₹351 a kg.
Inaugurating the agri machinery fair, jointly organised by Campco (Central Arecanut and Cocoa Marketing and Processing Cooperative) Ltd and Vivekananda College of Engineering and Technology at Puttur in Dakshina Kannada district of Karnataka on Friday, she said that there has been a demand from arecanut cooperatives and farmers to increase the MIP on imported arecanut.
The Union Agriculture Department has sent a proposal to DGFT in this regard. Finally, the Union Ministry of Commerce will have to take a decision on this.
The Minister said she is hopeful of Commerce Ministry increasing the MIP from ₹251 a kg to ₹351 a kg.
Surging imports
To restrict the unabated import and to prevent the entry of inferior quality arecanut into the domestic market and destabilisation of the domestic prices, the Centre has fixed the MIP at ₹251 a kg.
However, a recent reply in the Lok Sabha by the Union Commerce Ministry showed a huge increase in the import of arecanut during the first eight months of 2022-23. Stakeholders in the arecanut sector feel that unabated import of arecanut would impact the prices in the domestic market.
Speaking on the occasion, Kishore Kumar Kodgi, President of Campco, said arecanut import has gone up significantly from countries such as Myanmar, Indonesia, Sri Lanka, and Nepal in recent months. He hoped that the Centre would increase the MIP on arecanut to ₹351 a kg at the earliest.
Karandlaje urged the arecanut and coconut farmers in the region to consider oil palm cultivation in their plantations. Stating that India is yet to become “aatmanirbhar” (self-reliant) in edible oil production, she said around ₹1.5 lakh crore worth of edible oil is being imported in a year.
Farmers should consider growing oil palm in their arecanut and coconut plantations, she said. Oil palm crop would also provide additional source of income to farmers.
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