| Addressing the 111th Annual Conference of United Planters Association of Southern India (UPASI) here, Elangovan said while the fundamentals for coffee in terms of demand and supply balance were positive this year, which also led to a modest recovery of prices, it continued to be unremunerative for the producers and growers. |
| The Union minister shared the concern expressed on the multifarious problems affecting the plantation sector, especially tea and coffee. The Centre was aware of the problems affecting the sector, he said, adding the Coffee Board had proposed to extend the interest subsidy scheme on working capital loans for the entire 10th Plan period. |
| While the government was willing to consider all possible measures to help the coffee sector, coffee growers should face the challenges by taking up measures to improve the production and productivity to reduce cost of production. |
| The centre was also reviewing the price stabilisation fund scheme for the benefit of the growers of tea, coffee, rubber and tobacco, to make it more attractive and useful to the growers, Elangovan said. |
| Putting forth their demands to the government, UPASI sought an exclusive plantation policy and urged the Centre to "shield" growers, who are on the brink of disaster due to fall in prices of tea and coffee in the last four years. |
| The plantation policy should comprise all facets of the sector, including production requirements, export objective, land tenure, finance and taxation, UPASI President B B Medaiah said in his address at conference. |
| The plantation policy should be on the lines of the industrial and agricultural policies. Observing that the plantation sector did not get the attention it deserved from the policy makers, Medaiah said the need of the hour was well-conceived long term policies for the crisis-ridden sector. |
| He said the producers would not have faced the uncertainties on the marketing front. |
Top Section
Explore Business Standard