Coimbatore, Dec 12 : Union Minister for Commerce and Industry and Railways Piyush Goyal has assured a delegation of United Planters’ Association of Southern India (UPASI) to look into various issues, including that
of restricting pepper imports only through designated port.

Goyal also assured to re-visit the Standard Input Output norms on Natural Rubber imports, based on the proper assessment on the actual input use requirements and also the issue of outstanding incentives for orthodox tea
production and extending the scheme for further period will be looked into,an UPASI release said today.

UPASI delegation, led by its president, AL.RM Nagappan met the minister along with Minister of State for External Affairs, V Muraleedharan on December nine at Delhi, the release said.The issues flagged by UPASI were the need for increasing the outlay for the Commodity Boards to meet the requirements of developmental schemes, increasing
the orthodox tea production incentive as it has more export potential, and the one-time special grant to the Commodity Boards to clear up the pending dues to the South Indian plantations.

Further, the issue pertaining to Rule 7B(1) of Income Tax Rules, 1962 which pre-empts the coffee growers to move up the value chain, need to reduce chicory content in coffee-chicory mix to 30 per cent, white stem borer attack in coffee plantations and the need for focused research in this aspect, re-assessment of Standard Input Output norm on Natural Rubber imports, and the large scale pepper imports taking advantage of trade agreements were also highlighted.

The delegation thanked Goyal for the decisive decision of the Government in not joining the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership, it said.