LDF Govt's Budget: A Letdown for Rubber Sector

DESPITE being the last full budget before the Assembly elections next year, the State Budget presented by Finance Minister K N Balagopal has left the rubber plantation sector surprised by its complete lack of mention of rubber.

- ABHILASH CHANDRAN @Kottayam

Apart from setting aside the previous budget allocation of ₹9 crore for the Kerala Rubber Limited, there was no reference to the Rubber Price Incentive Scheme (RPIS), a subsidy initiative for rubber farmers that has been in place since 2015. This omission has sparked widespread protest among the rubber farmers for its perceived neglect of the sector. According to Babu Joseph, general secretary of National Consortium of Rubber Producers' Societies (NCRPS), a collective of farmers, this budget was the first in Kerala's history to not even mention rubber. "Despite soaring international prices, rubber farmers in Kerala are not even getting a fair price due to the government's lack of market intervention. The progress of rubber farming in Kerala has been heavily reliant on the subsidy scheme that has been in place for the last ten years. The government's stance threatens to devastate the already struggling rubber farming se