KOCHI: Chief minister Oommen Chandy on Friday urged for an increase in the import duty of rubber. Citing the troubles of rubber farmers, he said the import duty of rubber should be raised to 25% or Rs 35, whichever is higher. He was speaking at a meeting of stakeholders of rubber in Kochi, chaired by Nirmala Sitharaman, the Union minister for commerce and industry.
“Large scale import of rubber had been made during the last few months which were more than what were needed to meet the domestic deficit. Wages had gone up when the rubber prices were high and now the farmers find it difficult to continue harvesting. The quantity of imports should be limited to meet the deficit and that too in lean production periods,” Chandy said.
Sitharaman said that the ministry had been receiving many representations from different sectors, but the views expressed by them were often divergent and sometimes contradictory. “The ministry would also like to get suggestions and solutions from the stakeholders, but any action taken should ensure adequate supply of quality raw material to meet the demands of the industry,” she said.
– India Times
