From the backyard of his little house near Puthupally in Kottayam, Jose often gazes up at the sky, hoping for a break in the clouds. It’s been nearly a week since the rains began, and the skies show no sign of clearing up.
“The price of rubber is finally over ₹200, but here I am, sitting idle,” he says, growing restless. “So much work is left to be done in the plantation. The trees need to be rain-guarded and the undergrowth needs to be cleared,” maintains the middle-aged man, who works in a rubber plantation.
Like Jose, hundreds of workers and small-scale holders across central Travancore eagerly await the end of the rains to return to the rubber plantations that cover the region’s rolling hills. With each passing day of relentless rain, their anxiety grows.
After a long period of stagnation, rubber prices are soaring. Those who missed out on rain-guarding before the monsoon are keen to get to work as soon as the rain stops. “Farmers are desperate to start tapping now that the price has bounced above ₹200. Small-scale holdings will become hives of activity once the rain ends,” says Babu Joseph, general secretary of the National Consortium of Regional Federations of Rubber Producers Societies India.
He explains that many farmers have emotionally invested in their plantations. “Despite setbacks, they rarely consider exiting, even if they become somewhat disengaged. The latest price trend is a turning point, but how long will it last?” he wonders.
At present, only about 30% of the plantations in the State have completed rain-guarding, with the rest keen to finish the process as soon as possible to take advantage of the high prices. However, growers are also wary of the potential negative impact of the persistent rain on the rubber trees.
Rubber prices in the country reached a peak in 2011-2012 when the commodity fetched ₹243/kg on April 5, 2011. The recent price hike has sparked a wave of enthusiasm among growers. Rubber Board officials believe the current bullish trend in the market is likely to continue throughout the year.
“Last year saw lower than normal production due to an abnormal increase in rainy days followed by severe heat. The situation worsened with the early arrival of the monsoon in the third week of May. The heavy rain has disrupted the entire tapping process, and as a result, there is a high likelihood that prices will surge in the domestic market,” notes an official.
