AP hails PM Modi's move not to join RCEP, says farmers would have suffered

State's Agriculture Mission chief says the oil seeds sector is already reeling due to edible oil imports

The Andhra Pradesh government today backed Prime Minister Narendra Modi's decision not to join the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) deal.

Congratulating the Prime Minister for the move, AP Agriculture Mission vice-chairman M V S Nagi Reddy said the agricultural sector would have faced a huge crisis had the country became a part of the agreement.

"Subabul farmers and those cultivating pulses are already facing a crisis due to bulk imports. Groundnut is the largest cultivated crop in the state after paddy. So there is a crisis in the oil seeds sector as well, due to edible