Coffee growers seek relief package from Centre

Reeling below the effects of erratic weather, weak price ranges and growing manufacturing charges, coffee growers have sought relief measures this sort of as interest waiver and restructuring of all loans from the Centre.

In a digital presentation to the Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Friday, reps of growers associations and Coffee Board chairman stated the recent disaster confronted by the sector and sought the Centre’s intervention. The Covid lockdown has only aggravated the disaster in the sector, where the price tag realisations are in tandem with the international price ranges.

Trying to get restructuring of all crop and advancement bank loan into a one time period bank loan, growers urged the Finance Minister to think about a relief on the traces of Exclusive Coffee Term Bank loan deal carried out for the duration of 2002 by the NDA federal government. They also urged her to minimize interest amount on this sort of loans to three per cent.

Further, they also asked for the FM to repeal the 7B(1) of the IT Principles 1962 to inspire growers to choose up worth addition, besides urging to extend incentive below MEIS scheme until the proposed RODTEP scheme is carried out.

Reps of UPASI, Karnataka Planters’ Association, MPs and MLAs of coffee increasing districts of Karnataka participated in the digital meeting. “The FM gave us a individual listening to and we are optimistic that she will occur back again with anything concrete for the sector,” claimed Karnataka Planters’ Association chairman Shirish Vijayendra.