KOCHI: Rubber growers have threatened to boycott tire manufacturers unless they buy rubber from the local market at the same price as imports.

The Rubber Growers Association of India said that just as the tire industry ignores the domestic industry in order to buy cheaper rubber, growers may also consider importing tires to supply the local market. The statement came as Kerala Chief Minister Oommen Chandy called a meeting of rubber industry stakeholders to discuss the industry crisis. The southern state is India’s largest producer of latex. According to the association, the CIF cost of imported rubber is Rs 135-140 per kilogram, while the domestic price is around Rs 114 per kilogram. Siby Monippally, general secretary of the association, said that all tire companies are making huge profits.

He added, “It is high time that these companies support Indian farmers by buying from the domestic market.” The association criticized the tire industry for taking advantage of falling global rubber prices to import cheap rubber, which has frustrated Indian farmers. Prices of local rubber.