Hyderabad: Telangana Agriculture Minister Tummala Nageswara Rao on Saturday strongly criticised the Union government’s decision to slash the import duty on crude palm oil, warning that the move would undermine local farmers and hurt the domestic palm oil industry.
In a sharp statement, Rao said the duty reduction was particularly disappointing given the state’s earlier request to raise the levy from 27.5 percent to 40 percent. “This decision is deeply unfair to oil palm farmers who are already facing challenges,” he said.
Rao argued that while cheaper imports may reduce prices in the short term, they risk eroding farmers’ confidence and damaging long-term cultivation prospects. “States are offering incentives to boost crop production, but such decisions from the Centre could derail these efforts,” he warned.
The Minister said he had written to Union Minister of Commerce and Industry Piyush Goyal, urging him to reverse the decision. A separate letter was also sent to Union Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan, highlighting the potential impact on farmers’ livelihoods.
He appealed to the Central government to adopt policies that encourage domestic production of oil crops like palm oil. “Only by supporting local farmers can we move closer to the goal of self-sufficiency,” Rao said.