Edaran Terhad

●23hb Disember 2016●

Disusun oleh Perpustakaan, UPP

The Star

r u b b e r 2 3 DEC 2016KUALA LUMPURThe Malaysian rubber market finished easier yes­terday in tandem with declining sentiment on regional rubber futures markets coupled with an overnight drop in oil prices, a dealer said.

The benchmark rubber futures on the Tokyo Commodity Exchange opened lower, tracking the Shanghai rubber futures market, prompted by prof­it-taking activities ahead of a Japanese national hol­iday today.

At noon, the Malaysian Rubber Board's official physical price for tyre-grade SMR 20 lost 2.5 sen to 879 sen a kg but latex-ln-bulk rose three sen to 643 sen a kg.

The unofficial closing price at 5pm for tyre-grade SMR 20 fell 32 sen to 853.5 sen a leg while latex-in- bulk slipped haif-a-sen to 642 sen a kg. - Bernama

SMR PRICES FROM MRS IN SEN A KILO: DEC 22_____________Offer Price Noon sell Closing sell

Sen/Kg US Cents/Kg Sen/Kg US Cents/KgSMR CV 991.50 224.50 990.00 224.20SMR L 953.50 215.90 951.00 215.35SMR 5 891.00 201.75 855.50 196.00SMR GP 888.00 201.10SMR 10 881.00 199.50 855.50 193.75SMR 20 879.00 199.05 353,50 193.25CENTRIFUGED LATEX - LOCAL PRICE (ISO 2004) IN MALAYSIANSENZKG(WET)Offer Price Noon sell Closing sellLatex in bulk 643.00 642.00Note: Effective from jan 2, 2014, MRB will publish only the sellers'offer price.FARMGATE LATEX PRICE:

Latex CupfumpLow High Low High

(sen/kg) (sen/kg)Peninsular 700.00 800.00 342.00 389,00Sabah 735.00 735.00 335.00 400.00Sarawak - - 250.00 378.00

US$Low High

Sabah 355.00 425.00Sarawak 310.00 585.00Source: Malaysian Rubber Board

AT A GLANCECOMMODITIES (DEC 22)__________________________________

Tin (per tonne) US$20,900 -US$50Gold (per gramme) RM157.51 -RMG.33CPO Futures (per tonne) Jan RM3.125 -RM29US$ CPO Futures (per tonne) US$698.25Tabber (per kg) SMR 20 879.00 sen -2.5 senLatex 643.00 sen +3 senDEC 21Nymex Oil Feb (per barrel) US$52.49 -US$0.81

exchange rate The Star 2 0 Utt* ^U1UBank Negara's best available quotations by commercial banks of Kuala Lumpur at 5pm on Dec 22, 2016 UNITS OF FOREIGN CURRENCY PER UNIT OF MALAYSIAN RINGGIT _________________________________________

Buying OD Selling ODUS dollar: 0.2234 0.2235Sterling: 0.1811 0.1812Singapore dollar: 0.3231 0.3234Yen 100: 26.2631 26,2874Euro: 0.2139 0.2141Chinese Renminbi: 1,5518 1.5531Ringgit Malaysia per foreign currency.

OPENING RATES BY MAYBANK ON DEC 22, 2016____________

SELLING BUYING BUYINGTT/OD TT OD

1 US Dollar..................................4.5380 4.4210 4.41101 Australian Dollar.....................3.2960 3.1930 3.17701 Brunei Dollar...........................3.1510 3.0510 3.04301 Canadian Dollar....................... 3.3850 3.2860 3.27401 Euro........................................... 4.7440 4.6050 4.58501 New Zealand Dollar................3.1590 3.0350 3.01901 Papua N Guinea K ina............. 1.5400 1.2870 1.27101 Singapore Dollar..................... 3.1505 3.0510 3.04301 Sterling Pound......................... 5.Q080 5.4710 5.45101 Swiss Franc.............................. 4.4220 4.3090 4.2940100 UAE Dirham...125,3800 118.5600 118.3600100 Bangladesh Taka................. 5.8280 5.4960 5.2960100 Danish Krone.................. :.65.S80ff 60.1900 59.9900100 Hongkong Dollar............... 59.3300 56.1200 55.9200100 Indian Rupee....................... 6.8210 6.3900 6.1900100 Indonesian Rupiah...............0.0350 0.0315 0.0265100 Japanese Yen....................... 3.8790 3.7500 3.7400100 Norwegian Krone.............. 53.8600 49.4200 49.2200100 Pakistan Rupee....................4.4200 4.1300 3,9300100 Philippine Peso.....................9.2400 8.6800 8.4800100 Qatar Riyal....................... 126.0900 119.9400 119.7400100 Saudi Riyal....................... 122.5200 116.3100 116.1100100 South Africa Rand............. 33.4400 30,7700 30.5700100 Sri Lanka Rupee...................3.1500 2.8700 2.6700100 Swedish Krona...................50.9600 46.2900 46.0900100 Thai Baht.............................13,4800 11.4200 11.0200

Berita Harlan

$ 3 DEC 2016

n F T A H V 2 . 5 S E NVJ I— 1 J l l 1 22 Disember 2016

« ,-asaran getah Malaysia ditu- i tup rendah semalam sejajar

penyusutan sentimen pasaran hadapan getah serantau selain kejatuhan semalaman dalam harga minyak, kata peniaga.

Penanda aras pasaran hada­pan getah di Bursa Komoditi Tokyo dibuka lebih rendah, men- jejaki pasaran hadapan getah Shanghai, dirangsang aktiviti pengambilan untung menjelang cuti umum di Jepun hari ini.

Pada tengah hari, harga fizikal rasmi Lembaga Getah Malaysia bagi gred tayar SMR 20 susut 2.5 sen kepada RM8.815 satu kilo­gram manakala susu getah pukal naik tiga sen kepada RM6.43 satu kilogram.

Harga penutup tidak rasmi pada jam 5 petang bagi gred ta- yar SMR 20 jatuh 32 sen kepada RM8.535 satu kilogram mana­kala susu getah pukal susut sete- ngah sen kepada RM6.42 satu kilogram. BERNAMA

Utoaan

Perabot Malaysia kini dalam talianKUALA LUMPUR 22Dis. - Persatu- mereka tidak mempu- dibeli di iistreet ber-an Industri Perabot Kuala Lum- ayai infrastruktur dan mu a 23 hingga 31 Di­pur dan Selangor (KLSFIA) be- sokonganberkaitan. 1L* sember 2 0 16 ” kata-kerjasama dengan iistreet untuk Katanya, portal be- nya dalam kenyataanmembawa perabot buatan Ma- li-belah dalam. talian, ^ Lv d isin ihariin i.laysia berkualiti tinggi kepada iistreet d ilihat. plat- yb KLSFIA yang me-pengguna dalam talian. form yang ideal untuk yy' netapkan standard

Keputusan KLSFIA meman- mengambil peluang emas bagi memasti-faatkan e-dagang tepat pada itu. kan eksport perabotmasanya untuk perniagaan “Dunia digital me- kualiti Malaysia mem-perabot jmencari kaedah paling nawarkan pelbagai ■a* * * “ -i perkukuhkan komit-berkesan memasarkan produk peluang buat industri ERIC lee men dengan kerjasa-dan perkhidmatan kepada ini justeru kami juga materbaharu iistreet.pasaran pengguna yang lebih turut menyertai Pameran Dalam Usaha menggiatkan e-dagangluas. Talian Perabot dan Hiasan Ma- ke arah pendigitalan industri

Presiden KLSFIA, Datuk laysia MF3- perabot dalam masa sama mem-Erie Lee berkata, peralihan ke- “ Pameran ini menawarkan pamerkan perabot buatan Ma- pada dalam talian menjadi visi rebat kredit sehingga RM250 laysia berkualiti tinggi kepada persatu an kerana sebelum ini bagi perabot terpilih yang boleh pengguna.

l 3 DEC 2016

R Allah SWT berfirman merakam- j laksanakan tugas dan tanggung-^ M I kanprinsip al-qawiy (kekuatan) i jawab. Dalam konteksyang me-

B ^ B I V ^ B ; dan al-amin (amanah) yang ber- I nyeluruh dari segi tugas danf l B ^ ^ B B I B B P B B _ | maksud: “Sa Job seorang an tarn pe- \ keija, al-qawiy dan al-amin disi-

B B I I B * B B V B f V W B i j rempunn ynng berduti itu berkita: | nonimkan dengan kompetensi,B j Wdhai ayah, amb/Uafi dia menjndi | keupayaan, integriti, kebolehper-

— i orang i/pohcm (mengembaln kam- j cayaan serta amanah sebagai ben-m m a h m a | B | 0 ^ ^ j bing k/ta), sesunggubnya sebaik- ! teng perilaku negatif dalam ke-

b T h B ■ ■ ■ i barkorang yangayaharribi! be- i hidupan.C f l U U n M l . ^ B U U U L E I orang yang kirat

j f | qaLL,/yj fngjnmanah (al-amin).” (Su- j Perancangan teliti, bijaksanai rah al-Qasas: 26) i Kisah Nabi Yusuf AS mempunyai

__ __ 0 * ___ ___ ___ B Secara mudah, al-qawiy dalam kekuatan iimu pengetahuan danBri^h M B konteks ini ialah mempunyai ke- profesional dalam pengurusan

III B B piB III B B B bB B B kuatan dan kompetensi. Al-atnin harta, pendapatan serta s umberB B B^tfwP v l B^B B B BvffHB B v l I | merajuk orang yang baik, ber- kekayaan negara. Selepas dilantik

iman, amanah dan berintegriti menjaga perbendaharaan negaradalam melaksanakan tanggungja- j Mesir ketika itu, Nabi Yusuf ASwab. Allah SWT menegaskan ciri | segera menyiapkan bekalan danindividu paling tepat diberikan | mengambil tindakan yang teran-tugas adaiah individu yang me- j cang bagi menangani musim ke-miliki kekuatan dan amanah, ! marau serta kebuluran yang akan

Kemelut memperlihatkan ! mengurus kehidupan di bumi. Al- Latar belakang kisah ayat ini melanda. Rakyat Mesir digesa me- jeiiayah rasuah, pecah ; Quran turut mengemukakan menceritakan Nabi Musa AS ber- nanam gandum selama tujuh ta-

amanali, sal ah guna ! tanggungjawab mengurus, ciri-ciri temu dua anak Nabi Syuaib AS hun berturut-turut.kuasa dan penyelewe- j pengurus dan pekeija yang baik, iaitu Ria dan Saftira. Dalam kea- Ini]ah perancangan yang telitingan membabitkan j kejayaan pengurus dan pekeija daan letih, mereka menunggu un- dan penuli bijaksana serta per-

| penjawat awam mahupun swas- j beriman, kegagaian pengurus dan tuk mengambil air dari telaga ubahan gaya hidup yang dijadikan! ta. Harapkan pagar, pagar ma- \ pekerja yang khianat, negara yang yang ditutup. Fenutupnya sangat teladan dalam mengatasi kesulitanI kan padi. Individu yang menjadi j sejahtera dan keruntuhan negara berat dan tidak mampu diangkaL hidup, terutama berkaitan denganI harapan dan kepercayaan terba- j serta bangsa kerana keburukan Nabi Musa AS membantu meng- pengurusan pendapatan dan ke-| bit dalam jenayah itu, Kes ini j pemimpindanrakyatnyajuga angkat penutup air itu. Kedua- wangan.| meliputi perbuatan meminta \ usaha membina negara dan ke- i dua puteri Nabi Syuaib AS pulang Setiap individu semestinya\ dan menerima suapan, mena- I kuasaan dengan fungsi kerajaan dan menceritakan kekuatan Nabi kuat, amanah, jujur dan profe-; war dan memberi suapan, mem- ] menjaiankan perkhidmatan. Musa AS dan bantuan baginda. sional dalam pekeijaan. Pekeijaan| buat tuntutan palsu dan menya- j Nabi Syuaib AS seterusnya men- adaJali ibadah. Perkhidmatan| lah guna kedudukan jawatan j Kuat, amanah jad i teras jemput Nabi Musa AS ke rumah. yang ditawarkan akan menam-i untuk kepentmgan peribadi dan ! Antaranya surah Yunus ayat 3 Dalam peijalanan, Nabi Musa AS bahkan lagi amal kebajikan dan| sebagainya. j dan ayat 31, Surah al-Ra’d ayat 2, betjalan di hadapan kerana men- pahala, bukan sekadar mencapai

Undang-undang memang wu- I dan Surah Sajdah ayat 5- Teras j jaga pandangan walaupun tidak matlamat diri dan organisasi. Pe- j jud. Mereka yang tertangkap di- j kepada pengurusan adaiah kuat j tabu arah ke rumah Nabi Syuaib keijaan platform mencapai kese-j bicarakan di mahkamah. Kes yang j dan amanah, Seseorang pengurus | AS. Mereka menuryukkan arah jahteraan hidup di duuia mahu-i dibawa ke mahkamah, menunjuk- j dibentuk, bukan dilahirkan. Men- j dengan mencampakkan batu pun akhirat.i kan jenayah ini dilakukan saban I dasari dakwah Nabi Musa AS de- j atau kayu ke kiri atau ke kanan Setiap individu tidak patut ta-| tahun membabitkan jumlah | ngan prinsip al-qawiy (kuat) dan j sebagai petunjuk. Inilah amanah- I mak mengejar kekayaan, lebihI wang yang sangat besar Statistik i al-amin (amanah) dalam pekeija- | nya Nabi Musa AS. Kedua-dua ga- ; baik berasa cukup atau berpadaj tangkapan kesalahan rasuah se- ] an. Sirah Nabi Yusuf AS mengurus j dis itu mengesyorkan kepada j dengan rezeki yang diperoleh. Se- ; hingga September lalu mencatat- ; ekonomi dan perbendaharaan ne- | ayah mereka mengambil Nabi I tiap perlakuan dilihat oleh Allah! kan 670 orang berbanding 841 | gara Mesir dengan kekuatan prin- ! Musa AS sebagai pekerja kerana j SWT, dicatat malaikat dan men-i orang pada 2015. Statistik pesalah ; sip hafiz (jujur) dan alim (pro- j keupayaan dan sifat baginda yang j dapat pembaJasan sewajamya.i rasuah sehingga September lalu j fesional), Prinsip itu dipaparkan i amanah. ; Inilah penanda aras penjawatj piila mencatatkan 127 orang ber- | kisah kekaguman dua anak pe- Perkataan anak Nabi Syuaib AS j awam serta swasta yang ikhlasi banding 157 orang untuk 2015. j rempuan Nabi Syuaib AS terha- j ini diabadikan oleh Allah SWT da- | berldiidmat untuk agama, bangsa

Malaysia berada di tangga ke-54 ; dap Nabi Musa AS dalam mem- j lam ai-Quran iaitu al-qawiy dan j dan negara.i daripada 168 negaia yang dinilai ; bantu mereka mengambil air mi- al-amin. Dalam konteks kini, pe- j _______________ _________i berdasarkan Indeks Persepsi Ra- j numan untuk temakan. Mereka keija yang baik ialah kuat dalam ~~j suah (CPI) 2015, menyaksikan pe- i tcrpegun dengan keterampilan erti kata mempunyai keupayaan j ££] Ur,'vers'ti Tenaga Ha sional (Unitenij nurunan empat anak tangga her- j Nabi Musa AS seorang pemuda dari segi mental dan fizikal, ke- berusaha menjaiankan tanggungja-] banding tahun sebelumnya. i yang kuat melaksanakan keija de- layakan, kemahiran, pengalaman, j

Al-Quran merakamkan Allah I ngan penuh rasa tanggungjawab, kesihatan, kecerdasan dan ke- ; Malaysia 20is-2025 (Penctulikan TineBii)j SWT Maha Berkuasa dan mentad- I tekim serta akhlak terpuji tanpa sungguhan menjaiankan tugas. : pppm. Naib Canselar unitem. Datuk Pto-j birkan sekalian alam. Manusia se- i mengambil kesempatan terhadap j Ciri kedua ialah kebolehperca- i fcsor or Kamai Nashaiuddin Mustapha j bagai khalifah yang diamanahkan i wanita yang lemali. i yaan atau beramanah dalam me- j mengulas lanjut isu mi, csok

HOT

Plantation firms, smallholders likely to reap further gains

amir hisyam rasid

KUALA LUMPUR: Local plantation nr r6rC6nt3£6companies and smallholders are Yesterday close One year low closelikely to see further gain from theexpected continued increase in I CPO Price 3 9 l S %crude palm oil (CPO) prices due to a potential limited supply until Marchnext year and stable demand from 1 SMR 20 Rubber M M H H M i M « p m _China ahead of Chinese New Year. ; price ra H iM a S w H I J -U U .y %

Another commodity, rubber, Feb 112016could also offer the same fortune to ...............................................................................................................companies as well as smallholders on the back of stronger global de­mand. sonal production downtrend, which Meanwhile, the benchmark com-

A strong US dollar and a limited should last up to February or March modity price for rubber closed at supply due to the El Nino phe- 2017,” he told Business Times, RM8.54 per kg yesterday, more thannomenon have also had a positive The Malaysian Palm Oil Board twofold of its one-year low o f impact on CPO prices. said recently CPO prices were ex- RM4.25.

It was reported that this year, palm pected to increase until the middle Business Times has reported that oil production in Indonesia and of next year, in tandem with crude the uptrend in the rubber price is Malaysia, which account for 85 per oil prices. very much influenced by recent de­cent of global supply, is forecast to CPO closed at RM3,070 per tonne velopments in China's automotive fall by five per cent to 58.8 million yesterday, up 39.5 per cent from its industry.tonnes. one-year low of RM2,201 previously. Malaysia is the world's fifth largest

MIDF Research analyst Alan Lim Yesterday, Ta Ann Holdings Bhd’s producer of natural mbber with itsexpects CPO to trade at a higher shares rose to a three-month high to smallholders supplying.95 per cent range of RM2.800 to RMS,300 per RM3.92 due the increase in the CPO of the country's output of 720,000 tonne in the next three months. price. Other plantation stocks also tonnes last year.

“The demand is expected to re- rose, albeit at smaller pace. However, among rubber-relatedmain stable due to stocking activity IOI Corp Bhd and TSH Resources stocks on Bursa Malaysia, Kossan ahead of the Chinese New Year cel- Bhd rose- one sen to RM4.39 and Rubber Industries Bhd was the only ebrations in China. RM1.87, respectively, and I<L Kepong one to rise yesterday, increasing

“For supply, we are still in the sea- advanced eight sen to RM23.74. three sen to RM6.48.

1«ST

Minimal impact from oil output cut, says JohariINSIGNIFICANT: 'R e d u c t io n in v o lu m e , w h ic h is le ss

th a n 5 p c , to be c o m p e n s a t e d b y b e tte r p r ic e s ’

“That is what we mean by ran off. It (IMDB) has become a shell company,” said Johari in response to a question on the matter.

MALAYSIA’S move to reduce crude oil Earlier, Johari took the opportunity to takeproduction by up to 20,000 barrels a ride on the Sri Petaling (LRT) line from per day (bpd) beginning January 1 Am pang to Bukit Jalil.

will have minimal impact on the country's JoininghimontheridewasPrasaranapres- revenue, said Second Finance Minister Datuk ident and chief executive officer Datuk Azmi Johari Abdul Ghani. Abdul Aziz.

He said the cut would not pose a significant The Ampang-Sultan Ismail line was theimpact as it represented less than five per first phase of the LRT that opened in De- . cent of the overall output, while the lower cember 16 1996, prior to the second phase volume would be compensated by better oil from Chan Sow Lin to Sri Petaling, which prices. made its debut on July U 1998.

Petroliam Nasional Bhd on Wednesday an- On June 30, another history was made afternounced the reduction, which is in support of . the sequential project of the Ampang and thedecisionbyOrganisationofthePetroleum Kelana Jaya lines were launched by Prime Exporting Countries (Opec) to trim produc- Minister Datuk Seri NajibRazak. tion to shore up prices. Another transformational land transporta-

But while the Opec move could stabilise tion project was the official launch of Phase global oil prices, he said the increase would One of the Mass Rail Transit (MRT) Sungai not be drastic as the cartel represented only Buloh-Kajang (SBI<) line, which covers 12 sta- one-third of global producers. tions from Sungai Buloh to Semantan and

He was speaking after officiating at the 20th began operations on December 16. anniversary of the Light Rail Transit (LRT) Phase Two of the MRT SBK line, which willAmpang Line, here, yesterday, have stations from Semantan-Kajang and in-

Meanwhile, touching on the government’s elude underground tunnels, will start oper- run-off o f IMalaysia Development Bhd ations on July 31 next year.(IMDB), Johari affirmed that there would be The service is now open to the public andno businesses conducted under IMDB. free until January 16.

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CommoditiesRubber growers seek import ban

M Sarita Varma310 words23 December 2016Financial ExpressAIWFIEEnglishCopyright 2016 Indian Express Online Media Pvt. Ltd.Rubber growers have sought a ban on import of natural rubber (NR) for atleast six months. Indian RubberGrowers Association (IRGA) has called on Union minister of state for commerce Nirmala Sitaraman in NewDelhi, urging her to impose restrictions on imports and to incentivise NR exports.

"We have brought to the attention of the government that the production costs of NR are currently to the tuneof R172 per kilo. Centre should devise schemes to push up the market price, which could meet theproduction costs with 50% mark-up, so that rubber farmers would stop leaving the trees untapped orswitching over to other crops," IRGA general secretary Sibi Monipally told FE.

According to the memorandum given to the commerce minister, when the international price is R160 per kilo,the premium variety RSS-4 fetches only R139 per kilo in India. IRGA has also sought that the Centre shouldimmediately sanction the funds for rubber subsidy to the Rubber Board of India.

Other demands include ban on the import of cheap quality tyres, hike in the import tariff on rubber products,and the launch of a new rubber re-plantation drive.

Fall in demand of automobiles has been playing haywire with the NR demand. As much as 70% of the NRproduced is used in commercial vehicles tyres. The collapse in vehicle sales by 11.58% in November kept theNR prices down.

Demonetisation, at this point, has been harsh on rubber cultivators in several ways, said Tomy Abraham,president, Indian Rubber Dealers Federation.

"Since workers refused to accept cheques, it has been hard to get skilled tappers to keep the plantations oncontinued latex production. This has added to the cultivator woes. If this state continues, it would beimpossible to achieve the production target," Tomy Abraham said.

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Asian Rubber Futures Finish Weaker Ahead of Holiday Weekend

By Vibhuti Agarwal231 words22 December 201619:15Dow Jones Institutional NewsDJDNEnglishCopyright © 2016, Dow Jones & Company, Inc.Asian rubber prices ended lower Thursday amid light trading volumes before the Christmas holiday weekend.

"Market volumes have thinned out with most investors sitting on the sidelines," said Kaname Gokon, ananalyst at Okato Shoji brokerage in Tokyo.

Tokyo rubber prices have been experiencing some consolidation ahead of Friday's market holiday andagainst a backdrop of weakness on Japan's stock exchange.

Several markets in Asia will be closed Monday in observance of Christmas, though those in Japan, China andSouth Korea will be open.

The Tokyo benchmark six-month contract ended down 6.2 yen at Y264.8 ($2.25) a kilogram Thursday.

The most-active rubber contract on the Shanghai futures exchange for May delivery fell 195 yuan to settle atCNY19,035 ($2,740) a metric ton.

Asian Rubber FuturesDec 22 Change from previous close

Tocom May RSS3 Y264.8/Kg Down Y6.2Shanghai May SCR5 CNY19,035/ton Down CNY195Sicom Jan RSS3 227.5 US cents/Kg Down 2.1 US cents/KgSicom Feb TSR20 199.5 US cents/Kg Down 1.2 US cents/Kg

USS Dec THB73.91-THB74.95/Kg THB72.89-THB75.25/KgBy Vibhuti Agarwal at vibhuti.agarwal@wsj.com

(END) Dow Jones Newswires

December 22, 2016 06:15 ET (11:15 GMT)

Document DJDN000020161222eccm000ym

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ThiruvananthapuramIntercropping planned in 20,000 hectares

280 words23 December 2016The Times of IndiaTOIEnglish(c) 2016 The Times of India GroupTHIRUVANANTHAPURAM: For the first time, the agriculture department and Rubber Board will jointly initiateintercropping in 20,000 hectares that are under rubber plantation with the help of rubber producers' societies(RPS).The two-pronged scheme, with vegetables, plantain and tubers as intercrops, is expected to emergeas a source of income--especially to smallholders--for four to five years.This will be done until rubber treesturn productive, besides catering to the state's requirement of vegetables.“The move can hugely benefitsmallholders, who own almost 93% of the total rubber plantations in the state,“ said agriculture minister VSSunilkumar on Wednesday .

The state, he said, has 6.5 lakh hectares under rubber cultivation, of which an average 13,000 hectareswitness replanting every year, he added.In a bid to achieve self-sufficiency in vegetable production, thedepartment has also come out with set of schemes, including effective marketing strategies that focusses onma jor zones like Vattavada-Kanthalloor zone in Idukki. “ A special officer has been appointed for theVattavada-Kanthalloor zone, where potatoes, carrots and cabbages among other vegetables are grown in18,000 hectares. The plan is to uproot grandis trees which could add another 8000 hectares to cultivableland,“ the minister said.Once the department prepares the 52-week production calendar by January , therewould be a clear picture on crop selection, targeted production and marketing strategy to be adopted by eachzone. “Kerala Gramin Bank will open a branch in Vattavada-Kanthalloor zone. Haritha cards will be issued tofarmers with which they can avail loans at concessional rates,“he said.

For Reprint Rights: timescontent.com

Document TOI0000020161222eccn000lx

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RUBBER-TOCOM falls on weak Shanghai, posts weekly loss

294 words22 December 201617:29Reuters NewsLBAEnglishCopyright 2016 Thomson Reuters. All Rights Reserved.TOKYO, Dec 22 (Reuters) - New benchmark Tokyo rubber futures fell in thin trade on Thursday, mirroring aplunge in Shanghai futures and ahead of a Japanese national holiday on Friday, with the contract ending theweek lower, its first drop in three weeks.

Tokyo Commodity Exchange (TOCOM) futures, which set the tone for tyre rubber prices in Southeast Asia,came under pressure also due to weaker oil prices, dealers said.

Weaker oil prices hurt investor risk appetite for other commodities, including rubber.

Oil prices slipped in tepid Asian trading on Thursday, dragged down by an unexpected rise in U.S. crudeinventories last week and moves by Libya to boost output over the next few months.

The new TOCOM rubber contract for June delivery <0#2JRU:> finished at 266.2 yen ($2.26) per kg, down 4.3yen, or 1.6 percent, from an opening price of 270.5 yen.

For the week, it lost 6.1 percent.

"The TOCOM pared earlier gains as Shanghai lost ground," said Satoru Yoshida, commodity analyst atRakuten Securities.

The most-active rubber contract on the Shanghai futures exchange for May delivery tumbled 690 yuan tofinish at 18,540 yuan ($2,668.97) per tonne.

"The Tokyo benchmark has fallen below a key 270 yen mark, which suggests that it has entered anadjustment period after the sharp rally in the past few months," Yoshida said.

The front-month rubber contract on Singapore's SICOM exchange for January delivery last traded at 189.9U.S. cents per kg, down 3.5 cent. ($1 = 6.9465 Chinese yuan) ($1 = 117.5600 yen) (Reporting by YukaObayashi; Editing by Biju Dwarakanath)

Released: 2016-12-22T10:29:52.000ZDocument LBA0000020161222eccm00fct