The Minister on his Facebook posted the meeting and a photograph was also posted therein.
The Minister wrote in his FB account “IFFCO Chairman and board members called on me today. We had discussion on availability and pricing of fertilizers and related matters.
Dr U S Awathi, the MD has been advocating direct transfer of subsidy to the beneficiaries. In a recent tweet on Dr Awasthi has said that subsidy benefits should reach to farmers directly. The tweet reads”@drusawsthi#iffco requests #goi to give fertilizer subsidy directly to farmers. let industries compete to provide better nutrients and services to farmers.”
IFFCO has been also battling recently for securing parity with the corporate on the issue of foreign dividends. Pointing out the continuing step-motherly treatment of the cooperatives on the issue of foreign earning Dr G N Saxena, Director Cooperative Development had said recently “if a Private sector entity brings dividend on their investments from other countries, they pay 15% ITax where as cooperatives had to pay 30%.”
But Iffco sources called it a courtesy meeting. “It was a courtesy meeting with the Minister as of now and the issues beckoning the cooperative giant would be taken in days to come”, said an Iffco source.