A panel has been set up under the Agriculture Department to examine the impact of FTAs ​​on sectors in Kerala.

The Kerala government has put in place a mechanism to examine the impact of India’s Free Trade Agreements (FTAs) on sectors in the state, which will enable the government to convey its concerns and demands to the central government without delay.

The government has set up a six-member high-level commission within the Ministry of Agriculture to study the effects of free trade agreements and report every four months.

Kerala has long expressed concerns about the impact of free trade agreements on the agriculture and plantation sector, especially for crops like pepper, rubber, coffee, spices and tea.

The panel is convened by a special officer from the Department of Agriculture (WTO Cell), the Director of Agriculture, the Director of the Department of Soil Research and Soil Conservation, the Chief (Agriculture) of the State Planning Board, the Director of Research, Kerala Agricultural University and the Chairman of the State Board of Agricultural Prices.

The Panel will periodically examine the implementation of free trade agreements and other arrangements signed by the Government of India with other countries/country blocs and submit a report once in four months.

The decision to set up the committee was taken at a meeting convened by Agriculture Minister P Prasad in May this year, and the Director of Agriculture issued a recommendation thereafter. Kerala has repeatedly raised concerns that the FTAs ​​signed by the Centre without consulting the state pose a serious threat to the farming community.

To promote value addition in agriculture and increase farmers’ income, the agriculture department introduced the brand ‘Keralagro’ and established the Value Added Agriculture Mission (VAAM) and Kerala Agrobusiness Company (KABCO).