Rubber Board to invest Rs 244 cr in NE states

The Rubber Board would implement a massive action plan to raise natural rubber (NR) production in the north-eastern states with an estimated outlay of Rs 244.5 crore during the eleventh five-year plan. The Government of India had approved the plan submitted by the Board. The plan proposed would enhance the area of rubber plantations in states such as Assam, Tripura, Meghalaya, Nagaland, Manipur, Mizoram and Arunachal Pradesh.

The government had decided to double the NR production in the country within a period of 10 years. India produced 864,500 tonnes of rubber during 2008-09 of which 37,240 tonnes were from north-eastern states.

The Rubber Board has identified that around 4.5 lakh hectares of land in these states is ideal for rubber cultivation. But only 72,000 hectares had been planted so far of which 42,000 hectares is in Tripura only. The total area of NR plantations in the country is 662,000 hectares of which 92-93 per cent is in Kerala. Tripura is the second-largest rubber planting state in India after Kerala.

The Rubber Board had planned to increase the acreage in the north-east by 26,200 hectares by 2011-12. The board will provide financial assistance to the tune of Rs 30,000 per hectare for fresh planting and re-planting activities in these areas. The board will also spend Rs 23.47 crore for human resource development in the rubber plantations of these states and Rs 8.8 crore for research and development operations.

The human resources development programme will mainly focus on training and welfare activities of plantation labourers. The plan has also earmarked Rs 19.55 crore for assisting nursing of plantations, processing and marketing of rubber. During the eleventh five-year plan, 25,000 hectares of rubber plantation would have fencing and an additional 500 hectares would be provided with irrigation facilities.

More nurseries to provide quality rubber plants would also be started and for this purpose the plan proposes to spend Rs 5 crore. In order to co-ordinate the development operations in the north-eastern states, an additional Rubber Production Commissioner exclusively for these area will be appointed. Three new regional offices will also be operational soon.