The Hindu Business Line : Next rubber capital in the making

And, it is thus not surprising that the Rubber Board has of late stepped up its activities in a big way in Tripura, which is well suited for rubber cultivation. The Rubber Board has identified 1 lakh hectares as potential area under rubber in the State, of which roughly 31 per cent has already come under cultivation.

It is increasingly being felt that only by increasing rubber production in Tripura and Assam, apart from increasing productivity in Kerala, can the country's growing natural rubber demand be met without resorting to imports.

A major project with Central Government funding in Tripura is a Rs 7-crore Rubber Park at Bodjungnagar industrial estate.

Rubber clones

Talking to Business Line in Agartala recently on the Rubber Board's research and extension activities in the State, Dr James Jacob, Director, Rubber Research Institute of India under the Rubber Board, said even though severe winter can inhibit the growth of some rubber clones, some large areas of the Statewere highly suitable for rubber. The Board has a large pilot farm at Taranagar area of Tripura.

The Regional Research Station (RRS) of the Rubber Board was set up in 1979 with the mandate to develop high yielding rubber clones, suitable to the State's agro-climatic conditions, through classical blending and selection, mother tree selection and clone evaluation. One of the key responsibilities of the RRS was to determine the ability of natural rubber to restore the degraded eco-systems, especially the `jhummed' lands in Tripura.

According to Dr Jacob, it was also mandated to develop location-specific farming technology for producing quality planting materials, crop husbandry including soil and nutrient management practices, disease protection protocols, rubber-based integrated sustainable farming, harvesting techniques and primary processing of latex into marketable forms of rubber.

According to the RRII scientist wherever applicable, findings from the RRII headquarters in Kottayam have been suitably modified to suit Tripura's conditions, and the best clones into the two following categories. Category 1: RRIM 600 and Category 11: PB 235; RRII 208; RRII 203; RRII 105; and GT 1.

Most areas in Tripura are planted with RRIM 600 variety, which outperforms RRII's flagship clone (RRII 105) - said to be the highest yielder in the traditional region. Performance of the latest clones (RRII 414 and 430) in Tripura is being evaluated. According to him, the latex yields do drop in summer, but are generally excellent during early winter (December-February). As a word of caution, he clarified that regular tapping during winter (high yielding season) was harmful to the rubber trees.

Asked on the yield, Dr Jacob said in Tripura it ranged from 1,500 to 1,700 kg/ha/year in the experimental farms and 1,000 to 2,000 kg/ha/year in farmers' yields. The wide range, according to him, was a clear indication of the lack of skill on the part of growers and tappers. In Kerala, the yield in growers' fields ranges between 1,500 kg/ha/year and 2,500 kg/ha/year or more.

Sufficient viable seeds

He, however, pointed out that techniques for making seedling nursery and good quality budded plants in tune with the climatic conditions of Tripura have been developed and successfully extended into growers' fields. He said a sufficient number of viable seeds are now produced in Tripura to meet the planting material demands. "There is no need now to depend on Kerala.".

Additionally, the scientist pointed out that technical and economic feasibility of cultivating various crops as inter-crops in immature rubber plantations have been developed. The crops include banana, pineapple, ginger, turmeric, pigeon pea, sesamum and groundnut.

Pointing out that field trials on rubber-tea cropping were under progress, he clarified that rubber monoculture appeared to be more profitable than tea monoculture.