Rubber farmers under the aegis of the National Consortium of Regional Federations of Rubber Producers) Societies have called for the use of genetically modified (GM) rubber plants, especially in traditional areas, as part of modernizing the plantations and rekindling farmers' interest in continuing with rubber planting amidst dwindling prices and increasing incidence of pest attacks.

"Genetically modified plants, which can resist diseases and changes in climate, may be produced in large scale and used in replanting especially in traditional areas", said a memorandum submitted to Union Minister of Commerce Piyush Goyal by the rubber growers.

The need to introduce GM rubber plants is urgent despite the consideration that States such as Kerala have refused to provide permission to use them, said Babu Joeph, general secretary of the consortium. He feels that there is no way of modernizing rubber plantations other than using GM rubber plants.

"The government must open its eyes to this fact and act in keeping with the changing times", he added. Sources formerly with the Rubber Research Institute said the efforts to develop GM rubber plants has been on for around 15 years now. Kerala has consistently refused to give permission for trial runs on the GM plants. The Rubber Board had also approached the government of Maharashtra for permission but was refused.

Experimental basis Rubber Board director Jessy M. D. said the board had sought permission from States such as Kerala to hold trials on GM rubber plants after the Rubber Research Institute took up the cause.

Since permission was denied, the board had approached the Assam government, whose permission enabled experimental plantation of GM rubber on an acre in Assam in 2021. Similar trial run has been on in Tripura as well from June 2024.

Mr. Jessy said these are on an experimental basis and the GM plants are not ready to be distributed to farmers in large numbers. Rubber is among the long term plantation crops and experiments and evaluations are done on the scale to ensure that all protocol is followed before the GM plant goes out into the field for commercial production.

Meanwhile, the appeal to the Union Minister of Commerce by the rubber producer societies include a minimum support price for the crop for small farmers, solving the problem of unrestricted imports, helping small scale rubber industries to revive themselves and solving the problems created by wild animal attacks on small holdings.