| YEAR | Coconut | Rubber | ||
| WOH | Copra | Oil | RSS 4 | |
| 1983 | 100.0′ | 100.0′ | 100.0′ | 100.0′ |
| 1984 | 174.5 | 160.5 | 160.1 | 101.3 |
| 1985 | 95.4 | 95.4 | 96.3 | 101.6 |
| 1986 | 111.9 | 103.1 | 105.4 | 100.2 |
| 1987 | 150.5 | 144.4 | 145.1 | 106 |
| 1988 | 164.4 | 154.1 | 152.8 | 108.7 |
| 1989 | 128.0′ | 117.1 | 118.0′ | 122.4 |
| 1990 | 145.8 | 132.3 | 130.3 | 127 |
| 1991 | 196.4 | 196.9 | 198.5 | 127.7 |
| 1992 | 237.6 | 224.3 | 222.2 | 147.8 |
| 1993 | 217.2 | 194.2 | 193.1 | 152.8 |
| 1994 | 177.8 | 160.7 | 159.4 | 186.4 |
| 1995 | 187.8 | 171.9 | 170.2 | 303.5 |
| 1996 | 235.0′ | 220.8 | 217.4 | 307.3 |
| 1997 | 284.8 | 262.3 | 257.9 | 239.3 |
| 1998 | 241.3 | 221.8 | 217.2 | 180.8 |
| 1999 | 298.4 | 268.2 | 266.1 | 179.8 |
| 2000 | 203.1 | 181.9 | 175.6 | 187.5 |
| 2001 | 184.5 | 150.1 | 148.4 | 186.5 |
| 2002 | 228.9 | 209.8 | 207.8 | 217.3 |
| 2003 | 282.3 | 283.9 | 280.7 | 288.8 |
| 2004 | 334.2 | 319.6 | 314.0′ | 334.3 |
| 2005 | 314.5 | 277.1 | 269.1 | 364.1 |
| 2006 | 273.1 | 246.7 | 241.2 | 527 |
| 2007 | 240.5 | 243.9 | 238.5 | 540.4 |
| 2008 | 338.2 | 307.1 | 298.4 | 646.5 |
From the above table of price indices it is clear to note that when we take 1983 as the base year, for 1000 nuts WOH the price index for the current year is 338 indicating that the price increase noted on coconut for the current year is 3.38 times the price of their product for 1983. Similarly the price increase noticed on a quintal of milling copra for the current year is 307 indicating that the price increase for copra for the current year is 3.07 times the price of copra for 1983. The price increase noticed on one quintal of coconut oil for current year is 2.98 times the price of coconut oil for 1983. The price increase on one quintal of Natural Rubber RSS 4 at for the current year is 6.47 times the price of RSS 4 at Kottayam market for 1983.
Now we look with the wage/salary index category of Govt. servants and other workers. From office records one can easily observe that an Assistant in any university of Kerala would draw an initial basic pay of Rs. 675 carrying a DA of Rs. 112 with a total of Rs. 797 (excluding other allowances such as HRA, CCA which vary from place to place) during 1983 where as initial starting basic pay for the same post is Rs. 7990 carrying a DA of Rs. 3036 with a total of Rs. 11,026 during 2008. Thus the salary index of the salary of an Assistant who will enter in service during 2008 is 1383. Thus the salary increase noticed on the initial appointment as Assistant in an University during 2008 is 13.83 times that of 1983. From the diary records one could observe that the wage given to an agricultural labourer during 1983 would be Rs. 20 where as the wage given today is Rs. 300 which is around 15 times the wage of 1983.
It means the coconut & Rubber have to get a price now is 15 times higher than 1983.
Reproduced by
keralafarmer
From the details availed by Dr. Yageen thomas
