Rubber Dealers Federation Cancel Strike

Kochi: The Indian Rubber Dealers Federation has decided to back out from the proposed rubber hartal called on April 16, in view of the clarification issued by the Union Commence Ministry that there was no move to import natural rubber by the Centre. The Union Commerce Ministry had informed that the Indian side had not made any commitment on reduction of tariff to Thailand for rubber import when the FTA with that country was negotiated recently. The Thailand side had only requested market access for natural rubber, the Ministry had clarified in the communication. The federation had strongly rejected to any import duty reduction in the case of natural rubber in 2005 when the Commerce Ministry began trade negotiations with South Asian countries.