SOPA welcomes Budget thrust on agri sector

Indore, Feb 28 (UNI) The Soybean Processors Association of India (SOPA) has complimented the Centre for laying emphasis on growth of agricultural and food-processing sectors by reducing customs duty on food-processing machinery, drip irrigation and sprinklers.

SOPA Coordinator Rajesh Agrawal today said the steps were necessary as the agri sector's growth rate was languishing just above 2.7 per cent as against the manufacturing sector that showed double-digit growth.

''I welcome the stress on making available breeder, foundation and certified seeds for expanding the development programme, farmers' training, extension systems, groundwater recharging and management under public-private partnership,'' he added.

Claiming it a misnomer that edible oil contributed substantially to inflation, Mr Agrawal said that increase in inflation might be due to high-priced edible oil such as groundnut and sunflower oil, foodgrain and pulses. Union Finance Minister P Chidambaram ''rightly reduced'' duty on both crude and refined sunflower oil by 15 per cent.

UNI