The high production cost for all plantation crops has made its products from Kerala uncompetitive in the domestic as well as overseas market, Association of Planters of Kerala said.

The labour wages in the State are also on the higher side, while the productivity is the lowest among plantations States, the planters’ body pointed out. C Vinayaraghavan, Chairman, APK, said that the tea industry is making a loss of ₹36 for every kg of tea produced. The cost of producing a kg of tea at the current wage level of ₹232 per worker per day is ₹120 whereas the average price of one kg of tea manufactured in Kerala at Kochi auction centre is ₹84. Expressing the association’s willingness for a reasonable wage hike in tea plantations, he said there should be a corresponding increase in workers productivity.

On rubber sector, the planters’ body said that the cost of producing one kg of natural rubber at the current wage level of ₹317 per worker per day is ₹150 where as the average price of one kg of rubber in ₹107. The grower is making a loss of ₹43/kg.

Likewise, the cost of producing one kg of cardamom at the current wage level of ₹232 per worker per day is ₹725 whereas the average price of one kg at Vandanmedu auction centre is ₹625 per kg. The grower, therefore, is making a loss of ₹100, he added.

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