Amaravati, Jun 15 (PTI) Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu and Union Commerce Minister Piyush Goyal on Sunday discussed key issues affecting the state's agriculture, trade and export sectors.

Naidu sought Rs 150 crore support through the Tobacco Board for HD Burley procurement, as the state is spending Rs 300 crore due to falling tobacco prices.

"We are procuring 20 million kg with Rs 300 crore. The Centre must share this burden by contributing Rs 150 crore," said an official release on the meeting between Naidu and Goyal.

The chief minister said that the import duty cut on palm oil is leading to lower prices, severely impacting farmers and posing a challenge to national edible oil goals.

Naidu also flagged 27 per cent seafood duties by the US, affecting eight lakh farmers, and sought GST cut on mango pulp from 12 per cent to 5 per cent.

He urged Goyal to initiate talks with the US over seafood tariffs and reiterated that the GST issue on mango pulp was raised with the union finance minister.

The CM explained to the union minister that seven centres were set up in Bapatla, Guntur, Palnadu, and Prakasam, urging legal amendments to empower the Tobacco Board on regulation and marketing.

He raised concern over reduced palm oil import duty, adding that it harms domestic farmers and undermines national mission on edible oils' self-sufficiency goals set by the Centre.

Responding to Naidu's appeals, Goyal assured to take up the concerns with the respective ministries and said, "We are committed to protecting the interests of Indian farmers." PTI MS STH KH

Import duty reduction on edible oils linked to depressed domestic prices, urging policy reconsideration to protect farmers. The Chief Minister requested central funding via the Tobacco Board to support HD Burley procurement and sought legal amendments to empower the Tobacco Board on regulation and marketing. He argued that reduced palm oil import duties depress domestic oilseed prices and threaten edible-oil self-sufficiency, urged reconsideration of import duty policy, pressed for talks to address high seafood tariffs affecting producers, and sought a GST reduction on mango pulp to ease processing-sector burdens.