Kottayam:
Rubber Board chairperson Sheela Thomas on Wednesday assured that out of the total production of natural rubber in the country 80 per cent of the contribution will be from Kerala in the next 50 years.
Launching on awareness campaign for quality improvement of sheet rubber here, Ms Sheela said farmers in Kerala should ensure to produce sheet rubber of good quality so that the state could supply quality rubber to the world.
She said Kerala was contributing a major part of the internal rubber production though the country started producing rubber on a commercial basis for the last 110 years.
Indian Rubber Dealers Federation president George Valy said the growers were getting farm gate price of 99 per cent for RSS-four variety of rubber, importing rubber from other countries is hanging as a threat for them.
Indian Rubber Growers Assoication general secretary Siby J Monipallay stressed the need to ensure uninterrupted supply of natural rubber to rubber-based industries. Import of rubber will increase if the quality is not maintained, Mr Monippally said.
Kaushik Roy, Group Head (corporate Purchase), Apollo Tyres, said the country has won global recognition in production and productivity. From 1076 kg per hectare in 1990, the productivity of natural rubber in India has reached over 1800 kg per hectare at present, the highest among all rubber producing countries and a record that has maintained all these years.