CAMPCO Seeks Minimum Support Price For Rubber Growers in Karnataka

Mangaluru: Expressing concern over the appalling condition of the rubber growers due to the steep fall in the price of Natural Rubber, the CAMPCO president has asked Chief Minister Siddaramaiah to extend the Minimum Support Price to the rubber growers of Karnataka on the lines of the scheme extended by the Government of Kerala.

Established under the Multi-State Cooperative Societies Act in 1973, CAMPCO has been working towards safeguarding the interests of farmers involved in Arecanut, Cocoa, Rubber, and Pepper cultivation.

“Currently, the Rubber Growers of Karnataka are facing an economically disastrous situation due to the steep fall in prices. Karnataka produces around 40,000 tonnes of natural rubber, and its consumption is around 60,000 tonnes. In the recent past, the Price of Natural Rubber has drastically declined from Rs.242 in 2011 to Rs. 140 in 2023. Majority of the Growers in the state have vast Rubber plantations. Nearly 60,000 Rubber Growers in Karnataka have taken up cultivation on around 55,000 hectares in the State,” CAMPCO president A Kishore Kumar Kodgi stated in the letter dated Sept 18.

Key rubber-producing districts in Karnataka include Dakshina Kannada, Udupi, Uttar Kannada, Kodagu, Shivamogga, Chikkamagaluru, Hassan, and Mysuru. CAMPCO has urged the Government of Karnataka to step in and provide essential support to rubber growers facing financial hardships.

"We request the Government of Karnataka to implement a Minimum Support Price for the state's rubber growers, aligning with the successful scheme in neighboring Kerala," Kodgi emphasized.

Under the "Rubber Production Incentive Scheme the Kerala government " of the government of Kerala, Rs 170 per kg is ensured as the minimum for Rs RSS 4 and RSS 5 verities. The difference between the market support price and the daily reference price approved by the Rubber Board is credited to the bank account of the farmer directly on the basis of purchase bills furnished by the Rubber Producer Societies and duly certified by the Field officers of the Rubber Board.

“This scheme is expected to improve the market price of rubber,” he added.