Port Blair, Sept 13: The PCC President Kuldeep Rai Sharma has demanded continuous procurement of copra from Andaman under Price Support Scheme.
In a letter addressed to Mr. Sharad Pawar, Union Minister of Agriculture and Food & Public Distribution with copy to the Lt Governor, ANI, Mr. Sharma stated that the Price Support Scheme declared by the Govt. of India for the year 2013, which was being implemented in this Union territory for procurement of copra from the farmers of far flung islands, has been abruptly stopped from 5th August, 2013. He said that because of this farmers particularly tribal farmers who are holding huge stock of copra with them are not in a position to dispose of their stock which has made them to face acute financial problems as the sale of copra is the only source of income to them.
“The sudden stoppage of implementation of the scheme in the islands has not only deprived the farmers of the benefit of the scheme but also given opportunity to the middlemen/private traders to purchase the copra of the farmers at a very low rate in the absence of the scheme,” he said.
Accordingly, Kuldeep has requested the Minister to kindly look into this burning issue to save the farmers of these islands from exploitation by directing NAFED for starting the implementation of the Price Support Scheme at the earliest as the livelihood of the farmers particularly tribal are solely dependent on the income from copra.
