The Central Arecanut and Cocoa Marketing and Processing Cooperative (CAMPCO) Ltd., Mangaluru, which also markets rubber, has appealed to Chief Minister Siddaramaiah to extend minimum support price to rubber growers in Karnataka on the lines of Kerala as the price of natural rubber slumped by over 42% in the past more than a decade.
In a letter to the Chief Minister on September 18, 2023 its president A. Kishore Kumar Kodgi said that the price of natural rubber drastically declined from ₹242 a k.g. in 2011 to ₹140 a k.g. in 2023 (a drop by 42.15 % or ₹102 per a k.g.).
“Rubber growers in Karnataka are facing disastrous situation due to the steep fall in price,” Mr. Kodgi who heads the multi-state cooperative society of Karnataka and Kerala said.
Mr. Kodgi said that nearly 60,000 growers cultivated rubber on about 55,000 hectares in Karnataka. Rubber is prominently grown in Dakshina Kannada, Udupi, Uttar Kannada, Kodagu, Shivamogga, Chikmagaluru, Hassan and Mysuru districts. The State produced around 40,000 tons of natural rubber per annum, and its consumption stood at around 60,000 tons.
Seeking the minimum support price under the market intervention scheme, he said under the ‘Rubber Production Incentive Scheme’ of Kerala government, ₹170 a k.g. is ensured as the minimum price for RSS IV (Ribbed Smoked Sheets) and RSS V grade rubber. The difference between the market support price and the Daily Reference Price approved by the Rubber Board will be credited to the bank account of the farmer directly on the basis of purchase bills furnished by the Rubber Producers’ Societies and duly certified by the Field Officers of the Rubber Board. This scheme is, interalia, expected to improve the market price of rubber, Mr. Kodgi said.
The CAMPCO also markets pepper after procuring the produce from farmers. (EOM)
