Kottayam, Monday, August 30, 2010: The CPM State secretary Pinarayi Vijayan today told that the Congress party and the Opposition leader Oommen Chandy were trying to deceive the people by saying that the rubber import duty was reduced as per the instructions of the Court. Pinarayi affirmed that the Centre was trying to implement anti farmer policies by reducing the rubber import duty.

The Centre had not accepted the instructions of the committee constituted for studying on the rubber import duty. Speaking to the reporters in Kottayam, Pinarayi warned the Central government by saying that they would organize the people against the anti farmer policies of the Centre.

Earlier report: -

Central government had ignored the recommendation of its own committee in reducing the import duty to 7.5 per cent. Finance minister T.M Thomas Issac had earlier informed that the State government would communicate its protest against the reduction of import duty on rubber to the Centre.

The committee, appointed by the Centre to review the import policy and headed by the chairman of the Rubber Board, had suggested a duty of 20 per cent ad valorem. If the duty based on prevailing price was not available, importers had the choice of opting for a duty rate of Rs.20.46 a kg.

Under the Association of South-East Asian Nations (ASEAN) trade agreement, India could impose duty of up to 25 per cent on rubber. However, the Centre had now chosen to bring it down to 7.5 per cent, which would gravely affect the farmers of the State. Kerala should raise strong protest against that, he said.