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| Sunday, 28 August 2005 |
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Scheme to improve rubber cultivation by L. S. A. Wedaarachchi The Rubber Development Department under the guidance of the Ministry of Plantation Industries has launched a scheme to improve rubber cultivation in Sri Lanka. A few decades ago one of the main foreign exchange earners was natural rubber and the related industries were considered "gold mines". Under the Natural Rubber Improvement and Rehabilitation project, it is expected to utilise the existing rubber lands properly and promote rubber cultivation in the non-traditional rubber areas such as Moneragala. Natural rubber will be cultivated on forty-thousand hectares in the Moneragala District in the coming years. The subsidy of Rs. 49,000 for the replanting of rubber has been increased to Rs. 100,000 and the private sector to enjoy the benefits offered by the government to improve the natural rubber industry. A representative of the Rubber Traders' Association hailed the timely steps taken by the Rubber Development Department under the guidance of the Minister of Plantation Industries Anura Priyadharshana Yapa and foresees a bright future for the natural rubber industry. He said that even at present the prices for natural rubber in the world market as well as in the local market are considered very favourable. According to a spokesman for the Rubber Development Department whatever assistance including the obtaining of rubber saplings, which are needed by the rubber planters can be arranged by the Department. According to a small scale natural rubber grower, the crippling threat faced by them as rubber growers is the lack of skilled rubber tappers. He said that the skilled rubber tappers left the industry looking for other means of income last year mainly due to the lower wages. He said they are also not in a position to increase wages because the natural rubber preparation charges levied by the village based 'smokeroom' owners as well as the prices of the relevant chemicals have increased drastically. The crepe rubber produced by the large scale rubber factories in Sri Lanka are being considered as the best quality crepe rubber in the world and Sri Lanka is the largest exporter of crepe rubber with a market share of 98 per cent. Sri Lanka enjoys the position of the sixth largest exporter in the world for the export of natural rubber. |
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