Hundreds of rubber farmers from Kerala, Tripura, Tamil Nadu and Karnataka affiliated to the All India Kisan Sabha (AIKS) organised a parliament march and protest at Jantar Mantar on 14th September to highlight the problems faced by them. The Dharna was inaugurated by Vijoo Krishnan, General Secretary, AIKS. Ashok Dhawale, president, AIKS, EP Jayarajan, Vice President, AIKS, Hannan Mollah, Vice President, AIKS, P Krishnaprasad, Finance Secretary, AIKS, Valsan Panoli, Joint Secretary, AIKS, Pabitra Kar, Joint Secretary, AIKS, M Vijayakumar, Vice President, George Mathew, N Ravi, members, Rubber Sub Committee, B Venkat, General Secretary, AIAWU, and Vikram Singh, Joint Secretary, AIAWU spoke.
Kisan leaders commented that the policy-driven crisis in rubber has created unprecedented hardships to the rubber farmers. They attacked the pro corporate policies of the successive Union governments led by the BJP and the Congress which are responsible for the dire situation faced by the rubber farmers. Particular references were made to the Free Trade Agreement with the ASEAN countries, which was initiated by the BJP government and finally signed by the Congress government in 2009. This Free Trade Agreement has resulted in a tremendous increase in duty-free imports of rubber from Thailand, Malaysia, Vietnam and other countries. Imports of natural rubber into India increased from 45 metric tonnes in 2005-06 to 5.28 lakh metric tonnes in 2022-23. Kisan leaders from Kerala recalled that top Congress leaders had promised that the ASEAN Agreement would hugely benefit rubber farmers in Kerala, the largest rubber producing state in India. However, it was the tyre manufacturing giants like MRF which benefited from Free Trade. There was a consensus that to save rubber farmers and national interest, Free Trade Agreements should be scrapped. They also demanded to make rubber an agricultural crop.
Speakers also stressed that a fair remunerative price of at least Rs 300/kg should be declared immediately. Pro-corporate policies unleashed by the Modi regime are significantly increasing the cost of production. It is humanly impossible to survive with the present dismal price. Adding salt to the injury, the Modi regime is in the process of dismantling the Rubber Board and paving the way for intense corporate control. The Rubber (Promotion and Development) Bill, 2023 is a clear instance of pro corporate policy by the BJP led Union government.
All speakers pointed out that the nefarious designs by the giant tyre MNCs are damaging the livelihood of the rubber farmers. The sinister game of the tyre MNCs was evident when Competition Commission of India (CCI) fined them about Rs.1788 crores for market manipulation in 2022. While rubber farmers and workers are struggling with livelihood, leading tyre MNCs like MRF, Apollo, JK, CEAT, and Birla amassed wealth. This fortune is at the cost of the lives of the rubber farmers. Kisan leaders reiterated that CCI fine amount should go to rubber farmers as demanded earlier by AIKS.
Issued by,
Dr Ashok Dhawale
President
Vijoo Krishnan
General Secretary
Some visuals from the protest:
