From Our Special Correspondent

Daijiworld Media Network

Bengaluru, Oct 26: A day after senior Congress leader M Mallikarjuna Kharge criticising the Narendra Modi government’s decision to allow imports of dairy products, areca nuts and pepper under the proposed Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP), another former Union Minister M Veerappa Moily has voiced his serious concern over the issue.

Pointing out that cultivation of areca nuts and pepper were important in the coastal and Malnad region while dairy industry flourished all over the State, Moily said the move would prove harmful to the domestic growers.

In a letter to the Prime Minister, the former Congress chief minister and union law minister said: “I very strongly recommend not permitting the import of dairy products, areca nut and pepper under any free trade agreement (FTA), in the best interest of the farming community of the country who are already in severe distress owing to unseasonal rains and floods”.

India is a more labour-oriented country and many landless agricultural labourers are mainly dependent on dairy farming unlike New Zealand or Australia or any other European model of dairy farming, Moily said.

“In the given situation allowing imports of any dairy products under FTA/RCEP would not hold good to the Indian dairy industry and the entire Indian farming community,” the letter said.

The Congress leader pointed out that milk is the highest value crop giving 27% of agricultural income to the farmers which cannot be ignored to realize the objective of “doubling the Indian Farmers Income by 2022”.

Moily said: “If we agree for the free trade agreement with New Zealand, it will also open doors to other countries from the European Union and the US which will create an “unimaginable” situation in the country.’’

The Congress leader said that the Milk producer’s income would be reduced by half if we take a wrong step of opening up our dairy market under RCEP/FTA with any country.

“Initially, we may procure the dairy products at cheaper prices from the above-said countries but it will lead to the collapse of Indian Dairy Industry as the dairy activity in the country will become unviable to our farmers and entrepreneurs," Moily said.
The Congress leader said Milk producer's income will be reduced by half if we take a wrong step of opening up our dairy market under RCEP/FTA with any country.

RCEP is a proposed free trade agreement between six partners namely People's Republic of China (ACFTA), Republic of Korea (AKFTA), Japan (The Congress leader said that the Milk producer's income will be reduced by half if we take a wrong step of opening up our dairy market under RCEP/FTA with any country, including (JCEP), India (AIFTA) and Australia and New Zealand (AANZFTA).

The RCEP negotiations were launched by leaders from 10 ASEAN member states (Brunei Darussalam, Cambodia, Indonesia, Lao PDR, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam) and 6 ASEAN FTA partners (Australia, People's Republic of China, India, Japan, Republic of Korea and New Zealand).

India has raised concerns regarding market access and other issues leading to an imbalance of trade between some of the partner countries.