Successful model for plantation sector in the offing: Jairam Ramesh

Kottayam, May 30 (UNI) Union Minister of State for Commerce Jairam Ramesh today said the successful Rubber Board model would be adopted in plantation sector including spices and cashew.

The minister was addressing a meeting after releasing a book on 'Kyoto Protocol and the Rubber Industry' at the Rubber Research Institute of India (RRII) here.

Referring to futures trading, the minister said the Rubber Producers' Societies (RPS) would be streamlined to get a direct role in the futures market as middlemen were drawing the benefits of futures trading on all commodities including Wheat and Rubber instead of farmers. The minister added that a committee had been constituted to look in to the operation of futures market on essential commodities.

He said the Rubber replanting subsidy had been increased from the present 20 per cent to 25 per cent and Rs 650 crore had been sanctioned for the development of rubber during the next five years.

Against a target of 34,000 hectares set for planting during 2002 to this year, 24,000 hectares was achieved and the target fixed for the next five years was 34,000 hectares, he said.

The Rubber cultivation in North Eastern region would be doubled in five years, now the region's contribution was five per cent of the total production against target of ten per cent in five years, he said, adding that Kerala was producing 92 per cent of the Natural rubber.

The minister congratulated the Rubber Board for making India number one in the world as far as the productivity of rubber was concerned in 2006.

The book on 'Kyoto Protocol and the Rubber Industry' explores the implications of the Kyoto protocol to the Rubber Industry, he said.

UNI