'Import policy should balance interest of farmers, consumers'

THE GOVERNMENT'S IMPORT policy for agricultural products should balance the interest of farmers and consumers so that the situation like the present one when farm income is hit by depressed prices of commodities doesn't arise often, Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan said on Monday.

- SANDIP DAS

“We follow a policy where we try to (ensure) that prices of items such as pulses and oilseeds don't rise to such an extent that the common person can't buy them. When (domestic) productivity is hit and we go for cheaper imports,” Chouhan said at the Indian Express Idea Exchange.

The minister said as imports surge, domestic prices fall significantly, hitting farm income and there is an urgent need to provide remunerative prices to the farmers.

To curb the decrease in price of pulses, the government has recently imposed 30% import duties on yellow peas, a cheaper variant of gram used in the food processing industry.