Naidu hosted Commerce Minister Piyush Goyal in Undavalli on Sunday, during which various issues concerning the state were discussed.
The CM raised the various issues of farmers growing commercial crops and those involved in aquaculture in the state.
The two leaders also discussed issues such as the procurement of HD Burley tobacco, a reduction of import duty on crude palm oil, the tariffs imposed by the US on aqua exports, and the GST reduction on mango pulp.
The CM explained the hardships being faced by farmers, the steps being taken by the state government to address these issues, and sought the Centre’s cooperation.
Naidu said the farmers cultivating HD Burley and White Burley tobacco this season are facing difficulties due to falling prices. The state has already initiated procurement measures and ais to procure 20 million kg of tobacco at an estimated cost of Rs 300 crore.
Seven procurement centres have been set up through the AP Markfed in Bapatla, Guntur, Palnadu, and Prakasam districts, he said.
Naidu requested Goyal that a sum of Rs 150 crore be provided to AP through the Tobacco Board for procurement. He said tobacco has been cultivated in 1.31 lakh hectares this year, an increase over the previous year. A fall in international demand for tobacco has led to price drops, adversely affecting the farmers, he said.
The CM called for amendments to bring tobacco production and marketing fully under the tobacco board’s purview.
Naidu said the reduction in import duty on crude palm oil is impacting domestic palm oil farmers. The slashing of duty to 10 per cent is denying palm oil farmers the fair prices. He urged the Centre to retain the earlier duty structure and said the duty cut could hamper the objectives of the National Mission on Edible Oils.
The chief minister told Goyal that 8 lakh aqua farmers in AP are suffering due to tariffs imposed by the US on aqua exports. He requested that the Centre hold talks with US authorities to reduce the 27 per cent tariff on aqua products.
The Centre, he said, must take proactive steps to relieve the aqua farmers of this tariff burden and help them recover from this crisis. He said hatcheries, feed mills, processing units and exporters were all affected by these tariffs.
Naidu suggested that the Centre reduce GST on mango pulp from 12 to 5 per cent. He stated that GST on mango jelly (mamidi thandra) is currently 5 per cent and a similar rate should apply to mango pulp as well.
He stressed that the GST reduction would benefit both mango farmers and the pulp industry. This issue has already been brought to the attention of finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman.
The Union commerce minister responded positively to the CM’s requests. He said appropriate steps would be taken to support farmers engaged in tobacco, palm oil and mango cultivation.
After the meeting, Naidu felicitated Piyush Goyal with a shawl and presented him with a memento.
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