Nearly two months after authorities launched an incentive to stimulate sheet rubber exports, the scheme has brought little cheer to the vast rubber plantations across Kerala.
Introduced on March 15 ahead of the Lok Sabha elections, the scheme offered an incentive of ₹5 a kg for sheet rubber exports. Its aim was to counteract the lower price quotes from other rubber-producing countries that were preventing Indian exporters from benefiting from the global rise in sheet rubber prices.
The farmers, however, argue that the scheme has failed to address their concerns, as it has not significantly boosted the confidence of private exporters. Babu Joseph, general secretary of the National Consortium of Rubber Producers’ Societies (NCRPS), suggests that State government agencies like Rubco or the Plantation Corporation of Kerala should have spearheaded the initiative for it to be effective.
