Union Minister to meet Kerala farmers, traders

Kochi, June 6 (UNI) Union Minister of State for Commerce Jairam Ramesh will hold talks with the stake-holders in the trade and farming sectors to hammer out ways to save them, especially crisis-hit cardamom and vanilla cultivators.

The Minister will visit the Spice Board, the Rubber Board and the Marine Products Export Development Authority (MPEDA) during his three-day visit to the state from today.

Talking to newspersons here last night Spices Board Chairman V J Kurian said the Minister would meet all stake-holders, including farmers' bodies, trade bodies and exports bodies to address various problems in the sectors.

Mr Kurian said the crisis in cardamom and vanilla, hit by low prices and high production, would be among the key issues to be addressed during the meetings.

The price of cardamom has declined drastically to Rs 215 per kg currently from an average price of Rs 620 during the year 2001 while predicted bumper crop of vanilla put the farmers in dismal mood with the prices going down sharply.

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