United Planters' Association of Southern India (UPASI) has made a strong plea to the Centre to slap a ban on import of rubber through all channels till its domestic price stabilizes at remunerative levels, and ensure the survival of more than a million growers and their families, mostly in Kerala.
UPASI president N. Dharmaraj drew attention of the government to the plight of rubber growers who are “in grave distress” due the record low current price levels of ₹98 per kg for the prime grade RSS IV, which is far below the cost of production.
“The low prices are forcing the farmers to stop tapping or even abandon rubber cultivation, and UPASI is seriously concerned about their plight,” he said.
According to him, the production during April 15-December 15 last year was 4.28 lakh tonnes compared to 5.10 lakh tones during the corresponding period a year earlier. On the contrary, the imports touched a figure of 3.27 lakh tonnes during April-December 2015, accounting for 76 per cent of the production and 44 per cent of consumption of rubber.
“The unrestricted imports are the primary reason for the price crash affecting the lives of more than a million growers and their families, mostly in Kerala,” he pointed out.
While appreciating the Government of India’s decision to impose port restrictions in imports and ban duty-free imports till March this year, UPASI said the latest initiatives would have been more effective if imports were allowed only through the ports of Kolkata and Visakhapatanam as done earlier and all imports checked for quality and action initiated against importers of inferior quality material.