CHENNAI: Agriculture Minister MRK Panneerselvam on Tuesday said the State government is taking steps to hike the price of copra this year, and has sent a proposal to the Union government in this regard. Replying to an issue raised during the Zero Hour in the Assembly, the minister said that in 2019, the procurement of copra stood at 310 metric tonnes, and fell to 43 metric tonnes the next year.
In 2021, it further reduced to 39 metric tonnes, but this year, 1,232 metric tonnes have been procured so far. AIADMK MLA Pollachi V Jayaraman said last year the copra price was Rs 130-140, but has reduced to Rs 87. The government should raise it to Rs 120-125 per kg, he added.