The increase in productivity and the decline in productivity coupled with low production prices have brought the age-old plantation area in Kerala to its knees.
Struggling to deal with the situation, it now hopes that the next government will focus on bringing the financial health of these gardens to normalcy and acting decisively.
According to Ajit BK, secretary of the Association of Plantations, Kerala, an organization of tea plantations, tea, rubber, cardamom and coffee plantations, the next government to implement the proposed plantation policy envisaging multi-cropping and difference. Urgent need. Crop without changing the basic structure of these plantations. As long as the government does not bring changes in the Acts and Rules in this area, it is not a task.
“The recommendations made by the Justice Krishnan Nair Commission such as abolition of plantation tax, seniority on falling rubber trees and prohibition of agricultural income tax are not yet a reality. Plantation in Kerala still remains a high-cost area compared to other places in the country and this issue can only be addressed by implementing the plantation policy.
Echo Zone Notification
Another major area on which the new government should focus would be the draft notification on the environment-sensitive areas (ESZ) of the central government which could cripple the sector. He said, “The draft, which envisages the inclusion of cultivated land and even human settlements in the ESZ, would make the basic operation of plantations practically impossible as the Forest Department was essentially with unnecessary regulations. Will come. “
Also, the government can take proactive steps to take advantage of the agrarian forestry schemes being lost by the central government as the plantations provide the right opportunity to grow valuable timber.
‘Ignore center’
Pius Scaria Pottankulam, a rubber producer and trader in Kottayam, said that successive state governments in Kerala did their utmost to protect the natural rubber plantation sector from the limitations of globalization. The central government had completely ignored Kerala’s rubber plants and, in addition to coming up with new initiatives, was dependent on the new state government to show political will to oppose the trend.
“The proposed CIAL-Model Rubber Industry Park is a welcome initiative, but before starting the venture, the government should talk to experts to ensure the cost feasibility of the products it produces, as it ensures competition on a global scale. . ” said.
Job plan
Mr. Pottankulam also proposed to the new government for efforts to include rubber tapping within the ambit of Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme, while also reducing the wage component to address the acute labor shortage in the region.
“The inclusion of rubber tapping in the employment guarantee program, coupled with the initiative to mechanize the tapping process, will help the Beldard planters, particularly fragmented holdings, to continue with rubber for some more time,” he said.
Leave a Reply