The Rubber Board has signed a MoU with the Department of Agricultural Development and Farmers' Welfare for the 'KERA' (Kerala Climate Resilient Agri Value Chain Modernization) project, to be implemented with World Bank assistance from 2025 to 2029.

The MoU was signed by Rubber Board Executive Director M Vasanthagesan and Additional Project Director of KERA project and Director of Industries and Commerce Department P Vishnuraj. In the function, a MoU was also signed with the Spices Board for the KERA project by its Director Rema Shree A.B. Under the scheme, farmers engaged in rubber and cardamom cultivation will get financial assistance of Rs. 75,000 per hectare for rubber cultivation and Rs. 100,000 for cardamom for a maximum of two hectares each. Rubber farmers in six districts namely Kottayam, Ernakulam, Pathanamthitta, Kannur, Malappuram and Thiruvananthapuram and cardamom farmers in Idukki district will benefit from the scheme.

KERA is a project of the State government aided by the World Bank to support marginal farmers to replant their senile rubber plantations with high yielding, climate resilient varieties. The project envisages replanting 30,000 hectares of senile rubber plantations in the selected districts during 2025-26 to 2028-29 with a financial grant of Rs. 75,000 per hectare and an outlay of Rs. 225 crore.