Centre hostile to rubber farmers, Pinarayi

Kottayam: Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan on Thursday lashed out at the BJP-ruled central government, accusing it of adopting a 'hostile approach' towards the rubber cultivation sector.

Speaking at the Nava Kerala Sadas, a state government outreach programme in Kuravilangad near here, Vijayan expressed dissatisfaction with the Centre's reluctance to support Kerala's demand for a fair support price for rubber.

"The central government is showing a hostile attitude towards rubber cultivation. Whenever the support price of rubber was demanded to be increased seasonally, it did not take a favorable stand," Vijayan said.

In a bid to address the concerns of rubber cultivators in Kerala, the Chief Minister announced that the state government has taken steps to establish a company dedicated to the development of the rubber sector.

Official records from 2020 have revealed a significant decline in natural rubber production in India, falling from 9.3 per cent in 2000 to 5.13 per cent in 2019, in comparison to global production. Farmers attribute this drop to falling prices of natural rubber.

The data further highlighted a decrease in the production of natural rubber's ability to meet domestic consumption, falling from 83 per cent in 2010-11 to 63 per cent in 2019-20.