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The Kerala government has opposed the Centre’s move to sign the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) agreement, saying it would further worsen the crisis in the state’s cash crops sector.
Agriculture Minister VS Sunilkumar, while replying to a notice for an adjournment motion in the assembly on the problems faced by rubber growers, said the state had already written to Centre in this regard.
Import duty waiver
“We oppose the RCEP. We have asked the Centre to hold consultation with the state before finalising the commodity character in the agreement,” he said, adding that once the agreement comes into force, import of cash crops, including rubber, would be allowed without duty. The state would take up the matter with Centre again, Sunilkumar said.
He also blamed the economic policies of the previous Congress-led UPA government and the present BJP-led NDA for the crisis dogging agriculture sector.
RCEP is a mega trade deal which aims to cover goods, services, investments, economic and technical cooperation, competition and intellectual property rights.
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