KOTTAYAM: In a bid to woo rubber farmers in Kerala ahead of the Lok Sabha elections, the BJP-led Union government is all set to announce a slew of initiatives, including a hike in the subsidy for planting rubber and regularisation of certain special packages. The announcement is expected shortly after the conclusion of the ongoing parliament session.
Earlier this month, Prime Minister Narendra Modi had urged the tyre industry to collaborate with the farming community to enhance rubber production in the country.
According to Rubber Board chairman Sawar Dhanania, the expenditure finance committee of the Union Ministry of Commerce and Industry has granted approval to raise the subsidy for planting or re-planting of rubber from the current amount of Rs.25,000 to Rs.40,000 in Kerala. “We anticipate an official announcement on this this month itself,” he told TNIE.
He said certain special packages previously provided to farmers will be formalised. “While the funding for schemes related to rain-guarding of rubber and the welfare of growers and tappers may be slightly reduced, these schemes will be regularised. The formalisation of these schemes will also prove beneficial for farmers,” he added. Dhanania said in the 2017 Union budget, the Rubber Board received an allocation of Rs 170 crore, which has now been increased to Rs 268 crore. The government is now planning to raise it to Rs 340 crore from next year.
The Rubber Board has taken the initiative to ensure a good price for rubber wood as part of the replantation of senile plantations, and this effort is already yielding positive results. The Board is also planning to announce the price of rubber wood on a weekly basis, similar to the announcement of rubber prices, he said. According to National Council of Rubber Producers’ Societies general secretary Babu Joseph, farmers require only a fair price for their produce.