Govt sets up special fund to boost pepper replanting
After doling out incentives for the replanting of rubber on Wednesday at Kottayam, the Union minister of state for commerce and industry, Jairam Ramesh, followed it up on Thursday with a new Special Purpose Pepper Fund to encourage farmers to take...
By TNN |
KOCHI: After doling out incentives for the replanting of rubber on Wednesday at Kottayam, the Union minister of state for commerce and industry, Jairam Ramesh, followed it up on Thursday with a new Special Purpose Pepper Fund to encourage farmers to take up replanting of pepper.
The productivity of Indian pepper is very low, Mr Ramesh said here at a press conference. To increase it, replanting of pepper should be taken up in 60,000 hectares in 5 years. The total cost of the project has been estimated at Rs 370 crore. The fund would be of the same size, the minister said, adding that the Spices Board, Nabard, the Horticulture Commission and the state government would together find the resources for this.
On the import of pepper, the minister said while the pepper imported from Vietnam goes into the oleoresin industry, that from Sri Lanka poses a threat to the domestic pepper growers. He said that the question of import of pepper from Sri Lanka will be taken up with the authorities there. The minister said that the present subsidy scheme for pepper will continue indefinitely. The WTO compatible subsidy will be provided till a total of 20,000 tonnes is reached.
In the case of cardamom, the minister said that it has been found that large quantities of cardamom are coming into the country from Guatemala through Nepal. “We have alerted the Department of Revenue Intelligence and the authorities in Nepal,” he said. Cardamom productivity in the country has increased three-fold in the last 15 years, from 70 kg per hectare to 230 kg per hectare. In Kerala, it is 312 kg per hectare, he added.
Meantime, seafood exports from the country have crossed $1.5bn for the first time in ’05-06, growing at 11% per annum. In rupee terms, the exports stood at Rs 7,245 crore, a 9% growth in the year under review, as compared to the previous year. In quantity terms, the exports grew by 11% and touched 512,164 tonnes. Frozen shrimp continued to be the major item in the export basket, accounting for 59% of the total export value. Frozen fish (14%), cuttle fish (8%) and squid (8%) were the other major items in the export basket.
Among the major markets, the EU continued to be the single largest market with 29% share, followed by the US with 23%, Japan with 16% and China with 12% market share. South-East Asia and west Asian countries were the other major buyers.
The Marine Products Export Development Authority has prepared a vision document to increase the export from $1.5bn to $4bn by ’10, Mr Ramesh and G Mohan Kumar, chairman of MPEDA, said here at a press conference. The plan is to reduce the excessive dependence on shrimps and to give importance to tuna and scampi exports. The value added exports, which is only 5% at present, is targeted to touch 75% in 5-6 years.
As far as the diesel subsidy for trawlers is concerned, he asked the MPEDA to prepare a proposal. “We will take it up with the ministry of finance and other ministries,” he said. He pointed out that the state governments of Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu are providing subsidy on diesel. “The Kerala government can also think on those lines,” he said.
The productivity of Indian pepper is very low, Mr Ramesh said here at a press conference. To increase it, replanting of pepper should be taken up in 60,000 hectares in 5 years. The total cost of the project has been estimated at Rs 370 crore. The fund would be of the same size, the minister said, adding that the Spices Board, Nabard, the Horticulture Commission and the state government would together find the resources for this.
On the import of pepper, the minister said while the pepper imported from Vietnam goes into the oleoresin industry, that from Sri Lanka poses a threat to the domestic pepper growers. He said that the question of import of pepper from Sri Lanka will be taken up with the authorities there. The minister said that the present subsidy scheme for pepper will continue indefinitely. The WTO compatible subsidy will be provided till a total of 20,000 tonnes is reached.
In the case of cardamom, the minister said that it has been found that large quantities of cardamom are coming into the country from Guatemala through Nepal. “We have alerted the Department of Revenue Intelligence and the authorities in Nepal,” he said. Cardamom productivity in the country has increased three-fold in the last 15 years, from 70 kg per hectare to 230 kg per hectare. In Kerala, it is 312 kg per hectare, he added.
Meantime, seafood exports from the country have crossed $1.5bn for the first time in ’05-06, growing at 11% per annum. In rupee terms, the exports stood at Rs 7,245 crore, a 9% growth in the year under review, as compared to the previous year. In quantity terms, the exports grew by 11% and touched 512,164 tonnes. Frozen shrimp continued to be the major item in the export basket, accounting for 59% of the total export value. Frozen fish (14%), cuttle fish (8%) and squid (8%) were the other major items in the export basket.
Among the major markets, the EU continued to be the single largest market with 29% share, followed by the US with 23%, Japan with 16% and China with 12% market share. South-East Asia and west Asian countries were the other major buyers.
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Among the ports, Chennai retained its first position by exporting 19%, followed by Kochi (17%), JNP (16%) and Vizag (15%). The Marine Products Export Development Authority has prepared a vision document to increase the export from $1.5bn to $4bn by ’10, Mr Ramesh and G Mohan Kumar, chairman of MPEDA, said here at a press conference. The plan is to reduce the excessive dependence on shrimps and to give importance to tuna and scampi exports. The value added exports, which is only 5% at present, is targeted to touch 75% in 5-6 years.
As far as the diesel subsidy for trawlers is concerned, he asked the MPEDA to prepare a proposal. “We will take it up with the ministry of finance and other ministries,” he said. He pointed out that the state governments of Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu are providing subsidy on diesel. “The Kerala government can also think on those lines,” he said.
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