Vijayawada, June 15 (UNI) Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu held a crucial discussion with Union Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal regarding the challenges faced by farmers growing commercial crops and those involved in aquaculture in Andhra Pradesh.

During his visit to AP, the Union Minister met the Chief Minister at the CM’s camp office here on Sunday. The two leaders discussed issues such as procurement of HD Burley tobacco, reduction of import duty on crude palm oil, tariffs imposed by the US on aqua exports, and GST reduction on mango pulp.

Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu explained the current situation in the state and the hardships being faced by farmers. He also informed the Union Minister about the steps being taken by the state government to address these issues and sought the Centre’s cooperation.

Mr. Naidu informed the Union Minister that farmers cultivating HD Burley and White Burley tobacco this season are facing severe difficulties due to falling prices, adding that the state government has already initiated procurement measures and has decided to procure 20 million kg of tobacco at an estimated cost of Rs 300 crore.

He mentioned that seven procurement centres have been set up through the AP Markfed in Bapatla, Guntur, Palnadu, and Prakasam districts. He requested that Rs 150 crore be provided through the Tobacco Board for procurement.

“Tobacco has been cultivated in 1.31 lakh hectares this year, an increase over the previous year. The reduced international demand for tobacco has led to price drops, adversely affecting farmers,” Naidu explained to Piyush Goyal and urged for amendments to bring tobacco production and marketing fully under the Tobacco Board's purview.

The Chief Minister highlighted that the reduction in import duty on crude palm oil is impacting domestic farmers and pointed out that slashing the duty to 10% is denying palm oil farmers fair prices. Mr.Naidu also urged the Centre to retain the earlier duty structure and noted that the duty cut could hamper the objectives of the National Mission on Edible Oils.

The Chief Minister told the Union Minister that 8 lakh aqua farmers in Andhra Pradesh are suffering due to tariffs imposed by the US on aqua exports and requested that the Centre hold talks with US authorities to reduce the 27% tariff on aqua products.

He appealed to the Centre to take proactive steps to relieve the tariff burden and help aqua farmers recover from this crisis. He also pointed out that hatcheries, feed mills, processing units, and exporters are all affected by these tariffs.

Mr.Naidu urged the Union Minister to reduce GST on mango pulp from 12% to 5%. He stated that GST on mango jelly
is currently 5%, and a similar rate should apply to mango pulp as well. A GST reduction would benefit both mango farmers and the pulp industry. He mentioned that this issue has already been brought to the attention of Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman.

Union Minister Piyush Goyal responded positively to the Chief Minister’s requests. He assured that appropriate steps would be taken to support farmers engaged in tobacco, palm oil, and mango cultivation.
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