(a) whether there is a long gap between production and consumption of natural rubber in the country;
(b) if so, the reasons therefor;
(c) the steps taken to increase the production;
(d) whether the Government has received a proposal from Kerala Government for banning import of agricultural products and including rubber in agricultural products; and
(e) if so, action taken thereon?
THE MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF COMMERCE AND INDUSTRY ( SHRI E.V.K.S. ELANGOVAN)
(a): No Sir.
(b) Does not arise.
(c): To increase the production of natural rubber, Government of India through Rubber Board has been implementing a number of Plan schemes which aim at bringing more area under new rubber plantation, replanting of old and uneconomic trees with high yielding clones, encouraging adoption of technology such as discriminatory fertilizer recommendation, disease control measures, soil and moisture conservation measures, rainguarding of rubber trees, use of stimulants with proper exploitation systems etc.
(d)& (e): Yes Sir. There cannot be a complete ban on the import of commodities in a Quantitative Restrictions (QR) free regime. As regards classifying rubber as agricultural product, the Government of India has already filed its negotiating proposals with WTO for including products such as Natural Rubber in the rationalisation of product coverage in the Agreement on Agriculture. The negotiations on agriculture and other areas of the Doha Work Programme will continue, beyond the 31 December 2004 deadline set at Doha, upto December 2005.