Rubber Cultivation in India’s North Eastern Region

Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Manipur, Meghalaya, Nagaland, Tripura and Sikkim comprise India’s North Eastern Region (NER), which has a geographical area of 2,55,083 sq. kms and a population of 3,84,95,089 (2001 Census). Thus the NER constitutes nearly 7.76 per cent of the total land area of India and houses roughly 3.75 per cent of India ’s total population. About 70 per cent of the region is hilly. NER is connected with the rest of India through a narrow corridor in North Bengal , having an approximate width of 32 kms on the eastern side and 21 kms on the western side. This corridor is popularly known as “Siliguri Neck” or the “Chicken Neck”. NER shares only 2 per cent of its border with the mainland of the country and the rest 98 per cent forms India ’s international border. This is of strategic importance for India .

The NER has vast resources, numerous and varied flora and fauna, but does not have the right environment for utilization of its resources and potential. Apart from geographical isolation, it is deficient in economic infrastructure of roads, railways, power supply, irrigation and communication. The recurring socio-political unrests have further hampered the climate for developmental activities.

Efficient utilisation of resource endowments, particularly commercial crops, holds out promise for transforming the NER.

Rubber Cultivation

Being one of the fastest growing consumer markets for natural rubber, India will end up being a major importer of the commodity if domestic production of rubber is not increased. At present, rubber imports is around 45,000 tonnes per annum and with the kind of explosion in the automobile industry that is occurring in India , the country's import dependence on rubber would soon escalate.

With limits to the growth of rubber in traditional areas in the hinterlands of the south-west coast comprising Kerala and the adjoining Kanyakumari district of Tamil Nadu, the Rubber Board should actively take up the cultivation of the commercial crop on a larger scale in non-traditional areas. Non-traditional areas so far identified as almost fully or marginally suitable for rubber cultivation are Arunachal Pradesh , Assam , Manipur, lower reaches of hills of Meghalaya, Mizoram, Nagaland and Tripura.

Rubber trees require deep & well drained soil of lateritic type. It also requires humid, equable climate (21 to 35°C) and fairly well distributed annual rainfall of 200 cm for optimum growth. Although the North Eastern Region lies far outside the traditional rubber growing zone, the agro-climatic conditions obtained here are unique in as much as near tropical features are experienced in most parts owing to low elevations, exposure to monsoons and other moderating influences.

In its effort to find suitable perennial cash crops of non-perishable nature for growing on the hill slopes which are unsuitable for permanent agricultural use, but too good to be put under forest, the Soil Conservation Department tried rubber cultivation in the late 50s. Due to the positive results obtained from trial plantations undertaken in early 1960s in the then undivided Assam (in some selected centres in Mikir and Garo Hills) and Tripura, commercial scale plantations were raised by Government Forest and Soil Conservation Departments. Public Sector Corporations set up later joined rubber planting endeavours on extensive scales. Thus while in Assam and Tripura, Public Sector Corporations are leading in the rubber plantation sector, in Meghalaya, Manipur, Mizoram and Arunachal Pradesh the role has been played by the State Forest and Soil Conservation Departments. Individual growers are also contributing to fast growth of rubber cultivation in this region.

Rubber has been identified as one of the thrust areas in Tripura, in view of its suitability to the terrain and the acceptability amongst the people. Studies have shown that about 100,000 hectares of area in the state can be brought under rubber plantation. The area under rubber cultivation at present is estimated to be about 26,500 hectares, which is the second largest, after Kerala. The yield per hectare and the quality of rubber are also comparable to Kerala's plantations. In fact, Tripura is now considered the "Second Rubber Capital of India" by the Rubber Board.

Nine per cent of the country's rubber production comes from the North-East India and above 82 per cent from Kerala, where the limits of area expansion have been reached and further expansion has to come from productivity enhancement.

Benefits: Rubber has huge potential to transform the region economically by generating employment and earning revenue. The availability of good quantity of high quality rubber offers ample scope for setting up of rubber-based industries. Moreover, rubber cultivation, which has already attracted large-scale participation of tribal population, is proving to be an effective means of weaning away the ‘jhum’ cultivation. The abandoned jhum/degraded land can be put to productive use. Rubber plantation is also environment-friendly.

Rubber is a major thrust area for the geographical belt in the 11th Plan (2007-12). With immense possibilities to increase the area under rubber in Tripura and Assam , the States could also benefit greatly from setting up downstream (processing) industries.

Extent of Rubber Cultivation & Production of Raw or Crude Rubber in the North East (1996-1997):

State Extent under Rubber (Ha) Production (in ’000 kgs)

1. Arunachal Pradesh 101.00 18.000

2. Assam 10,179.00 507.000

3. Manipur 1,400.00 112.000

4. Meghalaya 4,105.00 106.000

5. Mizoram 913.00 18.000

6. Nagaland 1,523.00 17.000

7. Tripura 20,761.00 3,350.000

Total 38,982.00 4,128.000

Source: Rubber Board, Guwahati

Potential: The Minister of State for Commerce, Mr Jairam Ramesh said a study by the Rubber Research Institute of India (RRII) citing an earlier study by the Rubber Board put the total potential area available for rubber cultivation in the North East at about 5,00,000 hectares including 50,000 ha in northern West Bengal. This is a considerably large area, given the fact that at present the total area under rubber in the country is only a little less than 600,000 ha. Out of the five lakh ha of potential area as rubber-worthy in the North-East, only one lakh ha is in Tripura and based on the latest statistics, 31.2 per cent of the potential area available in Tripura had already been brought under rubber cultivation. In the rest of North-East, only six per cent of the potential area has been cultivated so far. In Assam , where 200,000 ha is rubber worthy, just 7 per cent of the potential area has been brought under cultivation.

Mr Ramesh said the presence of suitable land in such large tracts and other natural factors such as good rainfall and abundant sunlight and manpower at an affordable cost meant that these favourable factors would hold the potential to put rubber cultivation in the North -East at a definite competitive cost advantage.

Problems:The RRII study said non-availability of agricultural chemicals and fertilisers remain a major problem in this part and lack of availability of skilled tapers and periodic monitoring of quality of tapping are the constraints. Besides, marketing of rubber is also a tough task in the North-East. Hence organising rubber growers into local self-help groups such as rubber producers' societies and empowering them with knowledge and technical and material support would help in tackling the constraints.

Officials in the Ministry as also in the Board said close to 32 to 60 per cent of the entire new rubber planting that has been taking place in the country between 2002-05 was exclusively in the North-East. They said the Board implemented a project for accelerated development of rubber plantation between 1984-85 and 1989-90 and against the target for planting of 24,000 ha, as much as 23,155 ha was actually achieved. This was followed by a comprehensive scheme for rubber plantation development in the North East with a total financial outlay of Rs 84 crore for the Tenth Plan (2002-07). Under this project, new planting and replanting, integrated village level rubber development, quality upgradation and demonstration of agro-management practices were undertaken.

There are six rubber nurseries in the North Eastern Region (1997): three in Assam (Cachar, Goalpara and Karbi Anglong), two in Meghalaya (East Garo Hills and West Garo Hills) and one in West Tripura . Regional Research Stations of Rubber Board have been set up in Agartala (Tripura) in 1979, Guwahati ( Assam ) in 1985, Tura ( West Garo hills of Meghalaya) in 1985 and Kolasib (Mizoram) in 1985.

Since rubber is a relatively new crop in the region, strong extension support is required by the farmers to help them adopt scientific agro-management practices. The Rubber Board has been providing training to farmers, distributing estate inputs and cover crops, giving financial assistance for boundary protection, establishing group processing centers, supplying rubber rollers, rubber sheeting rollers free of cost, etc.