Kochi: Rubber farmers in the state will launch a nationwide campaign to boycott Indian made tyres in protest against the tyre industry’s reluctance to buy natural rubber from the domestic market.
As a prelude to the boycott campaign, a convention would be held at Muvattupuzha on June 7, said Jeby Mathew convener of the newly launched The New Rubber Farmers Forum.
Representatives for various farmers and other organisations had extended their support to the convention, he told reporters here on Wednesday.
The tyre companies were importing rubber at a cheap rate and denying the opportunity of a fair price to the rubber growers.
At the same time, the tyre makers had not reduced the price of tyres, Mr. Mathew said. “In this way the tyre companies are exploiting both the rubber growers and consumers in the country”, he said.
Although the price of natural rubber and other raw materials required for manufacturing tyres had gone down by over 40 per cent, the tyre makers had not slashed the rate for tyres, he added.
The Forum wanted the tyre makers to buy rubber from the domestic market by paying an additional Rs 20 per kg over the price prevailing in international markets such as Bangkok.
The tyre makers incurred at least Rs 30 per kg as transportation, packing and insurance charges and import duty while importing rubber from abroad. The manufacturers could easily pay Rs 20 as an addition to domestic rubber producers, Mr. Mathew said.
