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Palmolein import: hartal in Beypore

Kozhikode: Left parties have called for a hartal in Beypore on Thursday in protest against the move to import palmolein from a ship berthed off the port there.

All India Kisan Sabha State general secretary Sathyan Mokeri said the hartal would be from 6 a.m. to 1 p.m. He said the consignment would not be allowed to be unloaded at Beypore.

The day witnessed demonstrations by Left organisations at the Beypore port and in front of the office of the agency that imports palmein and the port office as news spread about the arrival of a ship with a load of palmolein.

The Indonesian ship loaded with palm oil lay anchored off the Beypore port. The palmolein consignment is to be brought to the shore by barges.

Besides demonstrations by supporters of the Kisan Sabha, there were protests under the banners of the Democratic Youth Federation of India, All India Youth Federation, Janata Dal (Secular) and the Indian Farmers Movement (Infam).

The anti-palmolein protesters shouted slogans against the import, which, they said, would harm the interests of lakhs of coconut growers in the State as it would reduce the demand for coconut oil in the domestic market.

Appeals have been made by various organisations to the Centre to stop the import of palmolein in view of the crisis in the coconut sector caused by the low prices of coconut.

Special Correspondent adds from Thiruvananthapuram: Meanwhile, the government communicated its objection to import of palmolein through the Beypore port to the Centre. Agriculture Minister Mullakkara Ratnakaran said the government took the move for fresh imports seriously and had sent a fax message to Union Commerce Minister Kamal Nath urging him to stop the imports. Messages had also been sent to MPs from Kerala calling upon them to intervene in the matter.

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