’FTA concerns will be addressed’: PM
The Economic Times | 6 October 2009
FTA concerns will be addressed: PM
NEW DELHI: Miffed over the UPA’s signing of free trade agreement (FTA) with the Association of South East Asian Nations (Asean), Kerala’s farmers
on Monday reached out to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, who promised them that the state “will not be let down.” He said the Centre will extend all support to modernisation of the state’s plantation industry.
Leaders of the CPI, a constituent of the ruling LDF in Kerala, along with All India Kisan Sabha representatives met the prime minister with a petition signed by lakhs of farmers and other people of the state saying Kerala will fall “victim to unequal competition” following the UPA government’s decision to sign the FTA. The prime minister told the delegation that pact was signed in the interests of Kerala and the rest of the country.
The Centre is likely to send an team of experts to Kerala to look into the state’s grievances over the fallout of the FTA and examine the situation in the agriculture sector. The assurance was made earlier in the day when the delegation met commerce and industry minister Anand Sharma and conveyed its concerns about the FTA. The delegation included CPI and AIKS leaders D Raja, C K Chandrappan, Prabodh Panda and Sathyan Mokeri.
In a letter to Mr Singh, the delegation demanded that the Centre provide a special economic package for Kerala to enhance productivity by introducing new technology. “The state government should be consulted so that the negative list as of now is made more comprehensive and omissions like that of pepper are corrected,” it said.
It asked the prime minister to ensure that the items mentioned in the negative lists do not find entry into the Indian market in any processed form. The state fears that sectors like plantations, fisheries, textiles and light manufacturing goods will be seriously affected by the deal.
The letter alleged that the FTA was signed in a “hasty manner, without preparing the country and people to face the tough competition without discussing the matter in Parliament and state governments.” It also pointed out to the prime minister that the agreement was signed at a time when unemployment was increasing, prices of essential commodities were rising and the Centre has denied the state the agreed quota of food grains, sugar, power and kerosene to the state.
