Port Blair, Nov. 28: The Member of Parliament, Andaman & Nicobar Islands, Mr. Kuldeep Rai Sharma has requested the Hon’ble Lt. Governor of Andaman & Nicobar Islands to direct the Department of Agriculture to procure Coconut/Copra at Minimum Support Price from the farmers of Campbell Bay.

In a letter addressed to the Hon’ble Lt. Governor, Sharma said, “In case procurement of Coconut/Copra by the Administration is not possible then I request you to kindly direct the private parties, purchasing Coconut/Copra from Campbell Bay at much lower rate to buy Coconut/Copra from farmer only at Minimum Support Price so that the farmers get justified rate for their produces”.

The Member of Parliament also pointed out that the farmers of  Campbell Bay are solely dependent on Agriculture in which Coconut/Copra are the major produces but due to non-availability of Minimum Support Price (MSP) these farmers are unable to sell their Coconut/Copra produces, since a long time and are suffering financial loss.

He mentioned that in case of COPRA, delay in procurement means further loss to the farmers as the COPRA gradually dries up and the weight decreases, hence immediate steps to resolve this issue is necessary.