THRISSUR: Rubber farmers in the district now face a problem, they have rarely encountered previously: wind.Varkey from Payyakkara said: “The latex collection starts around 4 am, and by 6 we finish tapping and take it to the shed. Now, by the time we reach the trees, most of the latex turns dry, owing to the cold wind.” Besides, the wind spills the latex from containers kept for collecting it.Small-scale farmers in regions such as Mannuthy, Kodakara, Puthukkad, Mannampetta, Chalakkudy, Varantharappilly and Palappilly suffer the most. “The weather has affected us so much that, we find it hard to sell latex to the suppliers. In fact, our production has come down to near zero, as the tapped latex dries up, making it useless to produce sheets.”Statistics indicate that the rubber production in the district was on an increase. About 12,254 hectres of land in the district was under rubber plantation, accounting for about 3,000 tonnes of latex sheets annually, or 4 percent of the total produce in the country.But, since 2005, the production has been on a decline. Besides, farmers also face the fear of fire, which is common during these months. Over 40 rubber-based units are facing the threat of closure in Thrissur district alone. The small and medium enterprises are helpless in price control, as the market is mostly dominated by buyers.
Comments
0 comment