November 15, 2015
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Parliament Dharna of Rubber Growers on Dec 1

The following is the press statement released by the All India Kisan Sabha on November 10. IN the background of continuing crash of prices of natural rubber and the failure of the Modi government to protect the farmers from market exploitation, rubber growers from major rubber growing states will organise a parliament dharna in front of parliament on December 1, 2015. AIKS general secretary Hannan Mollah will inaugurate the dharna. A memorandum will be submitted to the prime minister and minister of commerce. 10 day campaign will be organised at village level from November 15 to 25 with household visits, conventions, public meetings, literature distribution etc. An all India convention of small and marginal rubber growers was held at Kottayam, Kerala on September 29 in which the all India coordination committee was formed. The convention has decided to organise an international seminar on rubber crisis at Cochin in March 2016 by ensuring participation of leaders of rubber growers from all major rubber cultivating countries. The charter of demands adopted by the convention among others has urged the central government to declare Rs 5000 crore as price stabilization fund and entrust government and public sector agencies to procure NR with Rs 240 as MSP, provide Rs 1000 crore to establish modern large scale rubber processing industries to manufacture world class automotive tires and other rubber based consumer goods under the collective ownership of social cooperatives of rubber producers and plantation workers, increase the tariff adequately and ensure strict port regulation to control import of NR and impose 50 percent tariff against dumping of NR into the domestic market, reconsider the export–import policy of rubber products to protect domestic production of NR and to establish All India Rubber Study Centre to promote research and development.