Following a call by the CPI(M)-led Left Democratic Front for a hartal to protest against the massive fall in the prices of natural rubber, shops and businessses in several parts of the Kottayam district remained closed on Wednesday.
The LDF gave a call for the hartal after the rubber price hit a rock bottom of Rs 93 a kg which is around a third of what it was during its peak four years ago. The Kottayam district is the rubber heartland of Kerala and following the gradual price decline over the past three years, the majority of small farmers have abandoned tapping the rubber trees. The crisis in the rubber sector has crippled Kerala’s rural economy and impacted badly on a range of sectors, mainly construction and demand for consumer durables.