Ahead of LS election, focus is back on ailing rubber plantations

March 12, 2024 08:48 pm | Updated 08:48 pm IST - PATHANAMTHITTA

The prolonged struggle of rubber plantations in Central Travancore is finally garnering wider attention ahead of the Lok Sabha elections.

With political campaigns in the region now focussing on the stagnant domestic price of natural rubber, the Union government has initiated efforts to boost the commodity’s exports. As part of this initiative, the Rubber Board has scheduled a meeting with exporters on March 15 to assess the current market situation and explore export opportunities.

Recently, representatives from the National Consortium of Rubber Producers’ Societies (NCRPS), a collective of rubber farmers, met Rubber Board chairman Sawar Dhanania and executive director M. Vasanthagesan. “During the meeting, it was mentioned that an action plan will be developed in collaboration with companies under the Rubber Board and RPS units to facilitate the permanent export of rubber. The authorities also promised to consider the possibility of providing incentives to RPSs for rubber procurement,” said Babu Joseph, general secretary of NCRPS.

Branding rubber

An official statement by the board, meanwhile, noted that for the export of sheet rubber, the Central government is offering an incentive of 1.40 % of the FOB (Free On Board) value under the ‘RoDTEP’ (Remission of Duties and Taxes on Exported Products) Scheme. Additionally, the Rubber Board is promoting Indian rubber under the brand ‘Indian Natural Rubber’ – a pioneering initiative by any rubber-producing country to certify the quality of exported sheet rubber.

The price of Indian sheet rubberhas softened recently and fell below Bangkok prices in January 2024. Meanwhile, the hike in international price has been attributed to supply shortages from major rubber-producing countries in Southeast Asia due to unfavourable weather conditions.

In tandem with export-boosting initiatives, the Rubber Board is also now actively addressing the concerns of rubber cultivators in the region. Meetings have already been organised in Kanjirappally and Pathanamthitta, in this regard, where Board authorities interacted with the growers.

The National Democratic Alliance, led by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), too has begun aligning its election campaign in the region with a set of recent welfare schemes for the rubber sector. The Bharath Dharma Jana Sena, a key BJP ally, has gone a step further by seeking an assurance from the Union government to increase the floor price of rubber to ₹250.