Rubber from Kerala is likely to be added to the Centre’s crop export cluster roster. Earlier, rubber from Kerala, which produces 85% of the country’s supply, was excluded from the list of 50 districts identified for export crop clusters, under the draft national crop export policy. Commerce secretary Rita Teotia has told Kerala officials, who pointed out the omission, that this decision will be reviewed. Rubber from Kerala is likely to be added to the export cluster, if the state government writes to ministry of commerce, seeking this review, she said.
Meanwhile, state cabinet, which met on Wednesday, has decided to write to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and commerce minister Suresh Prabhu seeking that four districts — Kottayam, Pathanamthitta, Ernakulam and Kannur — should be included in the export cluster for rubber. When the Rubber Board of India had sought Rs 220 crore as outlay for rubber, Niti Aayog provided only Rs 132 crore. In the last two years, the funds for the Board has been tight-reined, with the result that subsidy for rubber farmers had to be stopped from 2015. From Kerala, only pineapple from Vazhakkulam and ginger from Waynad had found place in the list of export crop clusters.
The draft crop export policy has proposed export clusters for 22 crops. The Kerala government has demanded that as a crop with international market, cashew export cluster should be considered in Kasargode. Clusters for pepper, tea and coconut will also be urged in Wayanad, Idukky and Kozhikode, respectively. Looking at the production side, banana clusters in Thiruvananthapuram, Thrissur and Wayanad and turmeric and mango clusters in Wayanad have been proposed.
Source: financialexpress.com