PUTHUPALLY: The Centre is keen on raising the subsidy for rubber planting, said Jyotiraditya Scindia, Minister of State for Commerce and Industry, here on Friday. Since the amended Rubber Act has been passed now, steps will be taken for addressing the subsidy issue, he added.
The per-hectare subsidy for new planting/replanting in traditional areas is Rs 19,500 and in non-traditional areas Rs 13,000. Scindia told reporters after launching the Online Rubber Clinic at the Rubber Research Institute of India (RRII) that replanting in holdings where trees had outlived their production cycle and introduction of high-yield clones in their place was very important to meet the projected growth in domestic demand for natural rubber in the coming years.
“MPs P T Thomas, Jose K Mani and Anto Antony and the Rubber Board chairman have actively taken up the issue of raising the planting subsidy. I’d definitely deliver.
Give me a little more time”, he said, without venturing into specifics. It is highly important to boost the value chain of natural rubber through value-addition. For this the Rubber Producer Societies have to be strengthened.
India’s plantation sector is very strong, not just in terms of earnings but also from being an employer of 15 lakh workers. Adding to the value chain is critical though the growers are comfortable with the current price/yield levels.
The minister charted out a four-point course for the future: large-scale replanting, an amended Rubber Act for a holistic and futuristic approach in all areas, including marketing, bringing of new technology and more and more high-yield, disease-resistant clones to address threats posed by climatic changes and pests.
“The focus should not be on that” but on targeted implementation of existing schemes. “The problem is not lack of programmes or paucity of funds, but implementation.” Sajen Peter, Board vice-chairman Siby Monipally, RRII director James Jacob and others took part in the function.