Campco urges Karnataka to introduce minimum support price for rubber growers

Mangalore Today News Network

Mangaluru, Sept 18, 2023: Expressing concern over the appalling condition of the rubber growers due to the steep fall in the price of Natural Rubber, the The Central Arecanut and Cocoa Marketing and Processing Cooperative (Campco) Ltd, 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.

 

In a letter to the Karnataka Chief Minister, Siddaramaiah, the President of Campco, Kishore Kumar Kodgi, said rubber growers have been affected in Karnataka due to the steep fall in prices of the commodity.

"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," he said in the letter

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.