United Planters Association of Southern India today sought Centre's intervention in the crisis laden Natural Rubber(NR) sector by enhancing the import duty on the product to 30 per cent from the present 20 per cent in the coming budget.
"Unless such immediate measures are taken, it would affect the livelihood of 1.2 million growers who are involved in growing this important industrial raw material and there is a danger of many growers diversifying to other crops" UPASI President Vijayan Rajes, said in a release here.
Vijayan also refuted the claims of the consuming segment that the import of natural rubber has not affected the prospects of the local farmers.
Rubber producers stopped tapping due to unremunerative prices, he said.
Pointing out that non tapping by growers was one of the main reasons for drop in crop and that this decline was being used as a reason to bring in more imports, he said that the prices declined from the level of Rs 241 in April 2011 to the current level of Rs.126 per kg.
UPASI has always been of the view that the Government should allow imports only to the extent of demand-supply gap, he said.
