Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan will lead an all-party delegation to meet with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi to discuss the challenges faced by the rubber sector, especially the growers, State Agriculture Minister V. S. Sunil Kumar said.
The delegation will seek the intervention of the Prime Minister to protect the rubber sector which is in crisis due to the sharp fall in prices of natural rubber, he said.
The minister said the state government would set up a rubber-based agro park in Kottayam as part of its efforts to protect the sector.
Kerala accounts for 90% of the country’s total natural rubber production. Around 1.2 million growers in the state are dependent on rubber cultivation for their livelihood.