United Planters Association of Southern India today urged the Centre that permission given to the Kerala for local demarcation process be permitted for the States of Tamil Nadu and Karnataka also.
The absence of a clear demarcation of lands planted with agriculture and plantation crops in the draft notification on the eco-sensitive on Western Ghats, would provide detrimental to the interests of plantation in Tamil Nadu and Karnataka, Peter Mathias, President, UPASI, said, in his address to the 121 Annual Conference of the assocition.
Kerala has been placed outside the purview of draft notification and was permitted to identify and excluded cultivated lands including plantations with the identified eco-sensitive areas in the State, Mathias pointed out.
UPASI has urged the union ministry of commerce to consider its suggestions given to Tea Board, to have detailed consultation with all the stakeholders on its proposal for amendments of Tea Act, he said.
When compared to other coffee growing Countries in the world, the research and development in Indian coffee sector was inadequate and lagging behind and urged Coffee board to give priority for research in coffee, Mathias said.
He reiterated UPASI's request for a safegurard duty on Natural Rubbers imported to India, since unrestrictred and untimely import of large quantities of natural rubber was a major concern for the growers, in view of falling prices.
Though pepper was getting remunerative prices of late, growers were worried as large quantities of pepper were getting into Indian domestic market, most of which through illegal channels, which was causing serious damage, he claimed.
