Thrissur: With a rise of Rs. 9 in the international market, rubber has clocked a high since January 2014 with prices reaching Rs. 151. The market for rubber in Kerala has not shown any betterment with the price inching up by a bare Rs. 1.50 reaching upto Rs.131 per kilo.
Prices in Bangkok shot up when the automobile industry boomed and crude oil prices inched up. A boom in car purchases in China fearing speculations of withdrawal of the tax exemptions on automobiles in 2017 was a major reason for this. China has also started importing more rubber to increase its influence on the ASEAN countries.
Despite the positive signs from the international markets, the rubber cultivators of Kerala are still struggling for better prices with the manipulations in the local market pushing the prices down. The centre has also avoided making any interference in the price issue.
In the first week of January 2014, the prices had shot up to Rs. 155.48. Thereafter there was a gradual dip touching Rs.76.72 in the month of February 2016. The prices have again gone up to Rs. 150. Going by conventional estimates the rubber prices in the local market should have been Rs. 210 by now.
The prices of rubber on the first and last days of the last three months is as follows. Local prices in brackets- November 116.7-137.86 (116.5-130), October 106-116.30 (118-116.50), September 106.56-107.06 (127-118). The prices started falling behind the international rates in November and the difference has been glaring by mid December.
