Kasturirangan panel report on Western Ghats anti-farmer:Thomas

A prominet Left party leader from Kerala today termed as "anti-farmer" the Kasturirangan panel report on Western Ghats and asked the Centre to cancel the implementation notification issued by it.
Kerala Congress Chairman and former Union Minister P C Thomas said that the reports on Western Ghats prepared by Madhav Gadgil and K Kasturirangan have failed to assess the contribution of farming community in protecting the ecology of the hills.
Addressing a Parliament March organised by his party's youth wing--Kerala Youth Front, Thomas said that the rubber plantations in the Western Ghats region in Kerala absorb huge amount of carbon from atmosphere and protect the region from global warming.

"The rubber plantations, while one ton of natural rubber is being produced, they absorb 25000 tons of carbon from atmosphere," said Thomas whose Kerala Congress is an ally of state's CPI (M)-led LDF.
He said that rubber based agroforestry system contributes economic yield to the farmers while protecting the environment, conserving soil, water and nutrients.
Thomas said that growers of natural rubber and cardamom are in deep crisis because of falling prices and urged the Centre to "correct" its import policy.
"Rubber prices have come down from Rs 230 per kg to 140 per kg. Cardamom prices have come down from Rs 2,000 per kg to Rs 500 per kg. The Centre should raise the import duty of rubber to 25 per cent instead of reducing it from 25 per cent to 7.5 per cent," he said.

Thomas took the agitation to Delhi at a time when the Left parties from Kerala stepped up the agitation in the state demanding cancellation of the Central government notification on the Kasturirangan panel report on Western Ghats.