Kerala seeks govt support to raise rubber production incentive from Rs 170 to Rs 250 per kg

Thiruvananthapuram, Dec 27 (KNN) The Kerala government in a letter to the commerce minister Piyush Goyal has requested support for raising the rubber production incentive for farmers.

In a letter dated December 24, the state agricultural minister P. Prasad pointed out that the farmers are demanding a raise in incentive from Rs 170 to Rs 250 per kg, but the State is not in a position to shoulder the burden.

The Kerala government has been implementing the ‘Rubber Production Incentive Scheme’ from 2015-16, wherein small and medium farmers are guaranteed a minimum of Rs 170 per kg for RSS-4 grade natural rubber. With production costs rising, farmers have now been demanding a raise to Rs 250 per kg.

The price of natural rubber, after peaking at Rs 223 per kg for RSS-4 grade during January 2011, has slipped to Rs 136 per kg, he said.

As per reports, the agricultural minister has also urged the commerce minister to frame a ‘Natural Rubber Policy’ to protect the interests of local farmers in addition to exploring the possibility of imposing anti-dumping duty on natural rubber imports from ASEAN countries.

Natural rubber should be included in the proposed ‘Livelihood security box’ and natural rubber should be re-categorised as an agricultural commodity in the international trade agreements, he said.

Further, he also urged the Centre to provide Rs 50,000 as the per-hectare assistance for the replanting of rubber.

Kerala accounts for over 80 per cent of the total production in the country.  (KNN Bureau)