Major tyre manufacturing" company, MRF Limited today announced it will provide rain" guarding materials, free of cost, to the marginal farmers of" Karnataka during the current year.
The company said it has identified seven cooperative societies and rubber processing societies as channel partners for implementing the programme.
With four months of heavy rainfall, marginal farmers in" Karnataka were unable to eke out their living tapping rubber" due to their inability to afford rain guarding materials.
Considering the hardship, MRF has decided to extend support to such farmers, the company said in a release here.
MRF Limited Vice-Chairman and Managing Director, Arun" Mammen said, "We have decided to cover 8,005 hectares of" rubber plantations in Karnataka having more than 32 lakh" rubber trees for rain guarding this year. About 7500 farmers" will be benefitted (with the programme)."
A company spokesperson told PTI that the rain guard" material is for rubber trees and the scheme will be" implemented in Mangaluru, Udupi, Chikkamagaluru and Kodagu districts.
The company said that it is the largest domestic" purchaser of dry rubber in India.
Indian requirement of natural rubber per year is about 10,00,000 tonnes of which India produces only about 7,00,000 tonnes and imports the rest.
Rain guarding of rubber plantations will significantly reduce this gap, the company stated.
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