Entrepreneurs demand recognition of rubber as agricultural commodity

The Bangladesh Rubber Garden Owners Association has pressed home a 11-point demand including recognition of rubber as an agricultural commodity, technical assistance and financial incentives for the development of the sector.

Other demands include renewal of contracts for plots allotted in the 80s, low-interest credit facility to rubber farmers, import of high-yielding seeds, withdrawal of VAT/tax on locally produced rubber products, increasing import duty on rubber to protect the local industry, and containment of illegal encroachment etc.

"Rubber is known as the white gold of Bangladesh and the demand for rubber products in the country's vehicle tyres, tubes, shoes, sandals, hosepipes, foam, and sports goods markets is increasing," Syed Moazzem Hossain, advisor of Bangladesh Rubber Garden Owners Association, said on Sunday at a press conference at the National Press Club.

Although other rubber-producing countries of the world have recognised it as an agricultural product, it has not yet been implemented here resulting in deprivation of the entrepreneurs from all the agricultural incentives provided by the government.

He demanded setting up of a rubber research institute and ensuring security in rubber cultivation areas.

President of Rubber Association Muhammad Haroon moderated the press conference.

Syed Moazzem said that the rubber industry is facing extinction due to the invasion by land robbers and terrorist forces on several plantations in the Chattogram Hill Tracts, calling for strict vigilance and overall assistance of the country's law enforcers in this regard.

He called on the government to take initiatives to make the rubber industry in Lama sustainable.

Syed Moazzem further said that production activities are currently being conducted from the seedlings imported in the 60s, yield capacity of which is low and the entrepreneurs are facing financial losses.

Rubbers are cultivated on around one lakh acres of land in the country including hill districts, and the Sylhet area. Some 1,300 rubber cultivators have created nearly 1,00,000 jobs in the country, he claimed.