After a series of bans on export of agricultural products like wheat, non-basmati rice and maize, pulses and edible oils to anchor the prices of these items, the government is now considering imposing a ban on exports of two more items — rubber and oil seeds. A senior official in Ministry of Commerce and Industry told The Indian Express that the major rubber-consuming industries have been demanding a ban on exports of natural rubber owing to high domestic and international prices of the product.

In addition, the Automotive Tyre Manufacturers’ Association (ATMA) had recently demanded that one lakh tonnes of duty-free imports should be allowed. However, the rubber farmers are not in favour of any duty-free imports.

An official in the commerce ministry said that agricultural exports are expected to take a bad hit this year since all these items put together account for more than 50 per cent of total agricultural exports.

Interestingly, another item that is on the table for a possible export ban is buff or buffalo meat. That is, however, not because of high domestic prices or low availability, but over concerns raised by religious groups claiming that often beef, disguised as buff, gets exported.