Left asks Govt to cancel FDI in agriculture

The CPI(M) asked the Govt to rescind any policy decision to take out agriculture and plantations from the list of prohibited activities.

The CPI(M) on Tuesday asked the government to rescind any policy decision to take out agriculture and plantations from the list of prohibited activities and open them up for 100 per cent FDI through automatic route.

HT Image

Observing that a Group of Ministers headed by Agriculture Minister Sharad Pawar had reportedly recommended such a move, the party Polit Buro said such a decision would "only aggravate the already deepening agrarian crisis in the country, which is marked by growing distress suicides and starvation deaths".

Further, producers of commercial crops, including plantations, have severely suffered in the recent years due to the liberalisation of trade policies in these areas, it said.

"In Kerala particularly, lakhs of people are facing pauperisation especially in areas producing coffee, pepper, cardamom etc", the CPI(M) said.

The party said the RBI had already asked the government to clarify whether it had decided to change the FDI policy permitting sensitive areas like agriculture, plantation, real estate and transfer of shares to non-residents through the automatic route.