Abstract:
This paper has been contextualised to capture the long-term trends
in the real values of price, farm income and wages in Kerala’s natural
rubber sector in the era of market uncertainty. The analysis succinctly
revealed that despite the pivotal role of the rate of growth in productivity
in sustaining the tempo of growth in farm income during the 28 year
period under review, the outcome during the post-reforms phase had
been influenced more by the trends in unstable prices. The emergence
of unstable prices as the major determinant of farm income in the postreforms
phase poses serious policy challenges to the rubber plantation
sector in the state.
