Kochi, Sunday, August 22, 2010: The BJP today criticized the Central government for betraying over 11 lakh rubber farmers in State with its decision to reduce rubber import duty to 7.5 per cent and demanded that it be reconsidered.

Speaking to reporters here, party’s state unit general secretary A N Radhakrishnan said the state government was getting over Rs 400 crore as tax from the sector. Since over 92 per cent of national rubber production is from Kerala, the government and Rubber Board have a moral responsibility to safeguard the interests of rubber farmers, he said.

He alleged that the ‘anti-people’ policies pursued by both ruling LDF and the erstwhile Congress-led UDF had destroyed the agriculture sector in the state.