Revised Rubber (Promotion and Development) Bill, 2023

December 8, 2023

The Union government is advancing its plans to reconstitute the Rubber Board and is now inviting public input on the revised draft Rubber (Promotion and Development) Bill, 2023. The Rubber Board, as directed by the government, will conduct open house sessions in Kottayam, Tamil Nadu, and Karnataka to discuss the draft with stakeholders in the rubber sector.
The move comes after protests arose in response to the earlier Rubber (Promotion and Development) Bill, 2022, prompting the government to revise the draft based on suggestions received during consultations in July. The revised draft addresses quality standards but has drawn criticism for not regulating the import of compound and synthetic rubber.

Key Points

Open House Sessions: The Rubber Board is set to hold open house sessions in Kottayam, Marthanadam (Tamil Nadu), and Mangaluru (Karnataka) to engage stakeholders, including growers, dealers, and manufacturers.
Revised Draft: The revised draft focuses on ensuring quality standards for rubber produced or processed in, exported from, or imported into India. It includes provisions for quality, marking, labeling, and packing.
Grower Concerns: Growers have raised concerns about the revised draft, calling for provisions to ensure a minimum price for rubber based on production costs. There are also concerns about the potential impact on the autonomy of the Rubber Board and issues related to billing Crude Rubber.
Representation Changes: The newly constituted Rubber Board, as per the revised draft, will have a maximum of 31 members. The post of Executive Director will be replaced with a Chief Executive Officer, who will also serve as member-secretary. The representation of Kerala, a major rubber-producing state, will decrease from eight to six on the reconstituted board.

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