Mishra Attacks Plan To Lift Agro-Import Curbs

Agriculture minister Chaturanan Mishra yesterday declared that his ministry would oppose any move to open up the agriculture sector to unhindered imports. This has added a new dimension to the forthcoming negotiations on removal of quantitative restrictions (QRs) on imports at the World Trade Organisation.

The minister's statement came on the eve of the departure of the Indian delegation to Geneva for negotiations. Mishra described the developed countries' bid to capture the Indian market as a "new offensive" by multinational corporations.

Mishra said the Indian negotiators would be under tremendous pressure from developed countries to agree to remove QRs on imports, including agricultural imports. As many as 580 items fall under agricultural imports which could be affected by the removal of curbs.

 

Mishra said a committee had been appointed under the chairmanship of agriculture secretary K Rajan to go into this issue in detail. Other members of the committee include commerce secretary P Prabhu, former commerce secretary Ganesan, former external affairs secretary Muchkund Dubey, economist Deepak Nayar and agriculture ministry joint secretary Sarita Das.

The agriculture ministry has already held preliminary discussions on the subject to formulate its views. It was felt that curbs on import of cereals, including wheat, rice and coarse grains, should be continued on a long-term basis to safeguard the country's interests. "We do not want to destroy the capability we have built up over the years for producing food to feed our population. If we do that, we will be in trouble," the minister said.

Free import of life forms, including fish, and products like potato should not be allowed to ward off dangers of introducing new diseases in the country, the minister said. Such imports should continue to be need-based and subject to thorough quarantine provisions, he said.

In the case of oilseeds and crude vegetable oils, already allowed to be imported under the open general licence, the minister said their import should be subjected to heavy duties -- 100 per cent to 300 per cent -- to protect the interests of Indian growers. Free import of commodities like dairy products, highly subsidised in developed countries, could jeopardise domestic production, Mishra said. The Rajan Committee would consider in detail the impact of unhindered imports on each of the 580 items in the agricultural sector, he said.

India is likely to announce the rolldown of non-tariff barriers for Sri Lanka when external affairs minister I K Gujral visits the island to chair a meeting of the third joint commission next week.

The meeting of the commission and bilateral talks with Colombo will take place between January 20 and 22 when Gujral is expected to announce the waiver of quantitative restrictions and other non-tariff barriers for Sri Lanka under the South Asian Preferential Trading Arrangement (Sapta).

This is the first time that India opening trade with any country, apart from the trade concessions granted to the four least developed countries Bangladesh, Bhutan, Nepal and Maldives -- about six weeks ago.