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DUTY HIKE ON PLANTATION ITEMS URGED
UPASI DELEGATION CALLS ON OMAR ABDULLAH
Date : 12 Dec 2000
Location : New Delhi
The
United Planters' Association of Southern India (UPASI) has urged the government
to consider increasing customs duty on plantation items and to include rubber
(CENEX -- Centrifuged Latex) for export to Russia under the rupee-rouble
agreement in order to safeguard the interests of the plantation sector in the
country, particularly the South Indian plantation industry. A delegation led by
Shri D. P. Maheshwari, Chairman, Planters Association of Tamil Nadu, called on
Shri Omar Abdullah, Minister of State for Commerce & Industry here yesterday
along with Shri E.K. Joseph, President of UPASI; Shri Peter Mathias, Chairman,
Karnataka Planters Association; and Shri G.J. Ancherial, Chairman, Association
of Planters of Kerala and apprised the Minister of the problems facing the south
Indian plantation industry due to the prevailing low prices of tea, coffee and
rubber and the high social cost arising out of a very high wage structure which
placed the plantation industry at a great disadvantage with the competing
countries. Apart from hike in duty, they urged more controls on
quality/prices/data, ban on import for re-export of all plantation commodities,
removal of Section 17 of the Tea (Marketing) Control Order which made it
mandatory for tea producers to route 75% of their bulk tea sales in the domestic
market through auctions and reclassification of rubber as an agricultural
commodity. The delegation also suggested that efforts be made for allocation of
additional funds exclusively for import of plantation commodities including
rubber by Russia under the rupee-rouble agreement.
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SB/AG/MRS
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