Dairy sensitive sector; no plans to open up in any FTAs: Piyush Goyal

Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal on Wednesday said dairy is a sensitive sector in India as it involves livelihood issues of small farmers and there are no plans at all to give any kind of duty concessions under any Free Trade Agreements (FTAs) in this area.

He said that India has not given any duty concessions in the dairy sector even to Switzerland and Norway under the EFTA (European Free Trade Association) trade pact, which was signed in March.

With Australia also, he said, that the sector was discussed but India clearly conveyed the sensitivities involved in this area.

"Our average holding with the farmer is small. It is 2-3 acre farm with 3-4 live stocks whereas Australia's farm and their dairy farms are both very large and it would be near impossible for these large and small farms to compete with each other on a common footing.

"We had discussed this issue even three years ago and on earlier occasions also and the dairy is such a sensitive sector that in any of our