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Kurien, Swaminathan to head Kerala WTO cells

George Iype in Kochi

Dairy expert Dr Verghese Kurien and renowned agricultural scientist Dr M S Swaminathan will head two special World Trade Organisation cells that the Kerala government is setting up to overcome the crisis in farm sectors.

Kerala Agriculture Minister K R Gowri told rediff.com that Dr Swaminathan and Dr Kurien have agreed to take charge of the state's WTO cells to counter what she called the ill effects of

the WTO's regulations on the agriculture sectors in Kerala.

She said the government decided to approach Dr Swaminathan and Dr Kurien to help it sort out the problems affecting the farmers in Kerala because "both the experts hail from our state."

Dr Swaminathan, father of the Green Revolution and Dr Kurien, who changed the face of the dairy industry with the Operation Flood, are originally from Kerala.

"We are certain that these two eminent experts will immensely help us to overcome the unprecedented crisis that has hit our farm sectors," Gowri said.

According to the Minister, farmers of cash crops like rubber, coconut, tea, coffee, cinnamon and cloves have suffered a loss of Rs 66.45 billion in Kerala during the last one year because of the effects of the WTO regime.

"After the central government lifted quantitative restrictions, our farmers have been at the receiving end. Though we have been urging the Centre to increase the import duty of all these crops to the maximum, nothing has yet been done," Gowri.

The state government has been pleading with the Centre to increase the import duty on vegetable oils including palm oil to 300 per cent and declare rubber and coir as agricultural products after due negotiations with the WTO.

"But our requests have not been listened to by the Centre," the Minister said. She said the WTO cells headed by Dr Swaminathan and Dr Kurien will chalk out strategies to be by adopted by the state government to reduce the impact of globalisation, free market economic and the WTO decisions on the state's agricultural produces.

Kerala follows Tamil Nadu and Karnataka, which were the first states in India to establish WTO cells to suggest ways and means to wriggle out of the impact of globalisation.

Officials said Dr Swaminathan will study how the pre-dominantly agriculture state like Kerala will have to face the competitive world market and recommend measures to exploit the positive advantages of access to international markets.

Dr Swaminathan will also suggest ways to effectively reorganise the various government agencies to face the competition of products from outside and to make the state's products more cost-effective.

Dr Kurien, who founded the National Dairy Development Board at Anand, will help the state to tide over the recession in the dairy industry. The flow of milk from the neighbouring state of Tamil Nadu and private manufacturers has turned the state-funded Kerala Co-operative Milk Marketing Federation (Milma) to heavy losses.

Dr Kurien will recommend a turn-around strategy for the dairy sector of Kerala. Already, a precursor to Dr Kurien's appointment, the state government has decided to hand over the loss-making unit of the Milma's Ernakulam union to Anand for revival.

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