'Rubber price boom to stay for decades'

P. A. Meegahamulahena Aranayaka special corr.

ARANAYAKA: The encouragingly high world market rubber price prevailing today, can be expected with all certainty to continue for a few decades more, said Rubber Development Department Director General Nihal Rubasinghe.

"This is the feasible assumption that can be drawn from the viable marketing status of rubber in the world market," he said, addressing a meeting of over fifty plant nursery owners in the Kegalle district on the 12th instant.

The meeting was convened at the Kegalle Rubber Development Department premises. The objective of the meeting was to impart the cultural know-how in high quality planting material production, which is an imperative need to boost Sri Lanka's rubber industry.

In the context of new plantings and re-plantings, the country needs over one million clonal grafts to achieve set targets, but the nurseries run by the government cannot supply all in all, he said.

It has been decided to harness the support of private nurserymen to supplement the national need. This is a two pronged programme, he said. Firstly it would supplement the country's requirement and secondly it would generate self employment for people in rural areas in a viable form because plans are afoot to plant around hundred thousand hectares in new plantings. Hence the venture of investing on plant supply nurseries would be a lucrative business and a viable one, he said.

"Rubber production can significantly contribute to improve our national economy and anyone who undermines the progress of this industry with selfish motives should think twice where his patriotism is. Private nurserymen who dupe rubber growers by supplying nondescript rubber grafts are of breach of trust.

They should not stoop to such low levels to earn money at the expense of our national economy, the Director General said. The Rubber Development Department is at present recommending clonal grafts with selection numbers - R.R.I. 102 and R.R.I. 121 to be raised in nurseries, and nursery owners should raise only such clones for sale, he said in conclusion.

Kegalle Rubber Development Department Assistant Director Asoka Swarnalatha said, our rubber industry suffered a set back in the years past due to a number of reasons, but today the country has surfaced from such drawbacks and is making progress in both the plantation and industrial sectors. Smallholders should strive to increase their production of latex by adopting improved cultural methods in order to contribute their share towards our country's economy, she said.