Govindacharya: Centre must end US control in marine, agriculture

James Paul
24 November 2003

Kochi: The central government should take the initiative to end the monopoly of the US trade in marine and agricultural sectors, Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh ideologue K N Govindacharya has said.

He demanded that a decision to import only the produce from small holdings should be announced before December 2003. He was inaugurating a convention on ''Protection of the Fishing Sector from US Trade Sanctions,'' organised by the Swadeshi Jagaran Manch here.

The US is trying to seek revenge for India''s strong stand against the WTO [World Trade Organisation] regime, he said. "The Western nations will stop imposing sanctions if we take a decision to boycott all foreign goods."

To counter the aggressive marketing techniques of the developed world, India should abstain from all the discussions on the ''Singapore Issues'' in the WTO, he added. "It is not possible to have equal rules for unequal powers, so all countries in the WTO should provide zero subsidy or no subsidy.

The government should promote livelihood-based agriculture and industry, he said. "Decentralised fishing system should be strengthened."

P Narayanan, state convenor, Swadeshi Jagaran Manch, presided over the function.