The Centre will introduce new guidelines for releasing subsidies to farmers for the purchase of farm machinery and tools, Union Minister of State for Agriculture and Farmers Welfare Shobha Karandlaje has said.
A major portion of the subsidy is at present set apart for the purchase of tractors and farmers are not able to purchase other farm machinery and tools required for their daily work, she said, inaugurating a three-day farm machinery fair on the premises of the Vivekananda college at Puttur Friday evening.
The minister asked the youth to explore new methods for producing value-added products from coconut as there is a huge demand for such products including coconut sugar and coconut milk.
She also suggested that areca nut and coconut growers can cultivate oil palm as an inter-crop as there is demand for palm oil which is being imported now. The farmers should strive for achieving self-sufficiency in edible oil production.
Karandlaje said her ministry has sent a proposal on raising the minimum import price of areca nut to the directorate general of foreign trade (DGFT). The DGFT will forward the same to the Commerce Ministry which will take a final decision.
The central areca nut and cocoa marketing and processing cooperative (CAMPCO) president A Kishore Kumar Kodgi, in his speech, requested the union government not to allow the import of areca nuts as it will adversely affect the domestic market.