Kozhikode: The Ministry of Commerce has decided to increase the subsidy for rubber plantations to Rs 40,000 per hectare. 

According to reports, the Rubber Board will soon approve its distribution, and farmers will get the revised amount from the next fiscal year onwards.

Presently, the rubber board is paying Rs 25,000 to farmers as a subsidy. Earlier, the farmers in Kerala criticized the Centre for providing hefty subsidies only to those from North Eastern states. 

Furthermore, the Centre has also approved all the projects of the rubber board for the next two years. Meanwhile, the board has begun receiving the Rs 268 crore announced in last year's budget in instalments. The Union Ministry's announcement came as a great relief to rubber growers in the state, who had been facing a crisis due to low prices.