Hyderabad, July 18 (RAHNUMA): Telangana Agriculture Minister Tummala Nageswara Rao has appealed to the Agriculture Ministers of Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Kerala and Andhra Pradesh to jointly press the Central government for measures to protect oil palm farmers.
In letters to his counterparts of Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Kerala and Andhra Pradesh urging them to join hands and collectively meet Prime Minister Narendra Modi to advocate for a guaranteed minimum price for the oil palm crop, Tummala sought either restoration of the 44% import duty on crude palm oil or a Minimum Guaranteed Price of Rs.25,000 per metric tonne for Fresh Fruit Bunches (FFBs), citing heavy losses caused by reduced import duties and falling market prices.
He said the southern states account for nearly 75% of the country’s oil palm cultivation and stressed that a united representation to Prime Minister Narendra Modi would safeguard farmers’ incomes and support India’s edible oil self-sufficiency mission.
