MANGALORE: A co-operative society of rubber growing farmers in a small village in Dakshina Kannada has carved a niche in procuring and marketing raw rubber for two decades. The society that has been manufacturing finished rubber products for seven years is set to release a new product — rubber flaps for heavy vehicles.

Belthangady Taluk Rubber Growers' Marketing and Processing Cooperative Ltd., Ujire, will release rubber flaps for use in heavy vehicles in the first week of June, society president Sridhar G. Bhide told The Hindu on Friday.

The flaps are produced at its manufacturing unit at Koyyr, Laila in Belthangady. There will be regular, medium and superior qualities in the price range of Rs. 65, Rs. 75 and Rs. 88 respectively per flap.

In the trial marketing, there was good demand for these flaps. Although in a small village, this society procures 50 per cent of the raw rubber produced in the State and 1 per cent of the rubber produced in the country.

Farmers' society has been manufacturing finished rubber products for use in irrigation pumpsets and industries, and products such as vehicle mud flaps, bush, doormats and so on for seven years. Of the three rubber growers' co-operative societies in the State, this is the only society that has taken up production of rubber products.

It is the first society to come up in the State in 1985. The other two — at Guthigar and at Puttur in Dakshina Kannada — only procure and market raw rubber.

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