In a bid to allay concerns of growers on the restructuring of the natural rubber sector, Rubber Board chairman and executive director A. Ajith Kumar on Thursday said the present steps were indented to reduce establishment and operating costs of the board to set aside more funds for development activities.
Addressing a meeting of representatives of the National Federation of Rubber Producer’s Societies (NFRPS), Indian Rubber Grower’s Association (IRGA), Association of Planters of Kerala (APK), RPS officials, and grower organisations, Mr. Kumar said there would not be any compromise on the services being extended to stakeholders.
However, the Rubber Board was not in a position to give any assurance on the continuation of the planting and replanting subsidies and financial assistance to rubber producing societies (RPS).
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Proposals on continuation of development activities have been included in the medium term framework plan for 2017-18 to 2019-20 submitted by the board to the Department of Commerce, he said and added that this was under processing by the Centre.
Among other things, issues regarding the impact of rubber plantation sector being excluded from the purview of the Plantation Export Development Authority (PEDA), future of the sector with the Union Commerce Ministry, and the impact of the proposed repeal of the Rubber Act were also taken up by participants at the meeting.