- Considering the substantial decrease in prices of raw rubber in the local market, the proposal made by Hon. Ranil Wickremasinghe the Prime Minister, to pay the difference between the local market price and the guaranteed price by the Rubber Development Department directly to the Rubber Smallholders, based on the prices of the local market, instead of the method approved earlier by the Cabinet which was based on the prices of the international market and accordingly to adopt the aforesaid new method with effect from 1st April 2015, was approved by the Cabinet.