KOCHI: The meeting called by the Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) in New Delhi on Thursday to prescribe a common quality standard for raw cup lumps - the residual lump formed from natural latex that coagulates in the cup after tapping is over - has met with strong opposition by the rubber growers’ representative and two other experts.
Following the stiff resistance, it was decided to conduct a detailed study to prescribe guidelines for the local raw cup lumps over a period of three years, it is learnt.Santhosh Kumar, vice-chairman of the Association of Latex Processors (Kerala), who attended the meeting in Delhi, told Express that he argued it was impossible to prescribe a common standard for the raw cup lumps as they are very often heavily contaminated with varying degrees of moisture and dirt, often harbouring microbes and disease-containing organisms.
Kumar was supported by Rubber Board joint director (crop physiology) Annamalai Nathan K, and Jayakumar, another participant.“We argued an expert committee should be appointed to study and prepare guidelines for arriving at a common standard for the local raw cup lumps,” said Kumar. Tyre manufacturers and other industry representatives were in favour of prescribing a common BIS standard, which will help them import the commodity.The meeting was chaired by Rubber Board secretary N Rajagopal.