27/08/2015 (Hindu Business Line) - The Cauvery Delta Farmers’ Welfare Association has urged the State government to fix the minimum procurement price for oil palm at Rs. 9,000 a tonne.

In a statement here, Mahadhanapuram V. Rajaram, working president of the association, said raw and refined palm oil accounted for 80 per cent of the cooking oil imported by the country every year. About 1.90 crore tonnes of cooking oil was consumed in the country every year. The Union Agriculture Ministry is said to have requested the Finance Ministry to increase the import duty on cooking oil. Chief Minister Jayalalithaa had taken steps to promote oil palm cultivation in districts other than Chennai in the State, he said.