After years of neglect, the long-overlooked rubber plantations in Kerala appear to be receiving significant attention from both the Centre and the State government ahead of the coming Lok Sabha elections.
Just a day after the Centre announced an incentive to stimulate rubber exports, the State government on Saturday brought out an order increasing the stabilisation price of rubber by ₹10. This order is in line with an announcement made by Finance Minister K.N. Balagopal while presenting the State Budget in February this year.
The Rubber Board has established an export promotion cell and announced the incentive of ₹5 a kg for export of sheet rubber. The incentive scheme is in effect from March 15 till June 30, said sources in the Rubber Board. Natural rubber exporters with valid registration and membership certificate issued by the board and registration for using Indian Natural Rubber logo will be eligible for the incentive. The cell will address various issues and handhold exporters.
Under the Rubber Production Incentive Scheme (RPIS), the government provides growers with the difference between the guaranteed price of ₹180 and the actual market price. Growers can claim this amount, credited to their bank accounts through the Rubber Board, by submitting bills from dealers to the rubber production societies. Field officers of the Rubber Board will then verify and upload these bills on the State government’s website.
In addition to increasing the stabilisation price, the State government sanctioned ₹24.48 crore to disburse dues under the RPIS. As per an official statement, more than a lakh-and-a-half small and marginal rubber farmers will benefit from this move.
With the Lok Sabha elections on the doorsteps, the rubber plantations, especially in central Travancore, have been garnering a wider political attention. While the United Democratic Front and the Left Democratic Front have long oriented their political campaigns in the region towards the rubber sector, the National Democratic Alliance too has now begun aligning its election campaign with the progress of rubber cultivators.
The Bharath Dharma Jana Sena, a key Bharatiya Janata Party ally contesting for the Kottayam seat this time, has gone a step further by seeking an assurance from the Union government to increase the floor price of rubber to ₹250.
(With inputs from Kochi bureau)
