Farmers demand CSB to re-amend Act to save sericulture industry

By Staff
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Google Oneindia News

Bangalore, Jan 11: Strongly opposing the Central Silk Board (CSB) Amendment Act, the farmers and other stake holders of the sericulture industry in Karnataka today demanded re-amendment of the Act suitably to protect the interests of the local industry.

The farmers, at a meeting with Union Minister of State for Textiles E V K S Elangovan here, said the Act should have been introduced after having thorough dicussions with all the stake holders of the industry.

A statement issued by the CSB on the highlights of the meeting said the Members of Parliament present on the occasion urged the Minister to take action to amend the Act suitably.

The farmers feared that the entry of multi-national companies and corporate sector into sericulture following the amendement would affect the interests of small and marginal farmers. They demanded the inclusion of Minimum Support Price for cocoons in the Act to avoid wider fluctuations and to safeguard the interests of sericulurists. The present authorised market system for cocoons was doing well and should be continued and made more farmer-fiendly.

The proposed clause on encouraging 'dealer' and 'their agents' was strongly opposed as they apprehended exploitation as in the earlier years, prior to introduction of authorised market system.

Mr Elangoven, in his address at the meeting, said the Ministry would look into the aspects of delagating powers to the State Government officials or coopting them for the purpose under the Act while notifying the rules under the amended Act if it affected the working of the State Sericulture department.

He said that while finalising the rules under the amended Act, due importance would be given to major silk producing States like Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, West Bengal and Jammu and Kashmir and their views would be taken into account for the overall development of the silk industry in the country.

The CSB officials said the Minister cancelled his address to the media after the meeting as he had to attend another programme.

UNI

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