The Centre's decision last week to hike import duty on rubber from 20 to 25 per cent has evoked mixed response among various stakeholders. The United Planters' Association of Southern India (Upas!) has welcomed the move but consuming industries such as the tyre and rubber sector have opposed it. N Dharmaraj, Vice President, UPASI said that the decision would serve to inject some life into the dying rubber plantation business, as the superior RSS-4 grade is a backyard produce and is crucial to the sustainability of the rural economy in Kerala.
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