The Hindu Business Line : High prices dissuade rubber growers from replanting

Major deterrents
If trees are cut and replanted it would take seven years before they begin to yield and full potential will be realised only after 10 years.
Subsidy offered to growers is a poor compensation.

M.R. Subramani

Chennai, Sept. 6 Rubber growers are resorting to ‘slaughter’ tapping of old trees instead of replanting them. This could have an effect on production in the next few years, players connected with the sector say.

‘Unscientific’

“Unscientific excessive harvesting practiced by a section of small growers is anticipated to take its toll on the production potential in the next few years,” said the Rubber Board Chairman, Mr Sajen Peter. He said this during a recent Rubber Board meeting. What he meant by unscientific excessive harvesting is slaughter tapping. This means, tapping of rubber from the tree from other parts which are normally untouched.

According to the Automotive Tyre Manufacturers’ Association, rubber trees subject to such tapping are usually cut down after a season with growers replanting the area. But during the last two years, it has become more pronounced in almost all nations which produce natural rubber. “This widespread practice could affect the overall productivity level, apart from delaying replanting, which in turn will slow down growth in production,” the association said in a note.

Giving up revenues

Mr N. Radhakrishnan, President of the Cochin Rubber Merchants Association, said growers delayed replantation since they did not want to give up on the good revenues they were getting now. “Also, the yield through such tapping is 850 kg a hectare against the normal 1,000-1,200 kg. Now, if they cut the trees and replant it, it will take seven years before it begins to yield and full potential will be realised only after 10 years” he said.

The Rubber Board offers a subsidy to growers who opt for replantation. “The subsidy is Rs 20,000 a hectare. It is a very poor compensation if you consider the money they make by not cutting down the tree. That’s why the Centre has been urged to raise the subsidy to Rs 1 lakh a hectare,” he said.

Latex quality

According to Prof K.K. Abraham of the Pala Rubber Cooperative Marketing Society, besides poor yield, the quality of latex also declines as the tree gets old.

“At least 50 per cent of the trees in the rubber estates are old and have to be cut down but grower prefer to extend their life period through slaughter tapping for 2-3 years,” he said.

A rubber tree’s normal life period is 30 years and its starts yield only after seven years. But once the tree is 25 years old, the yield begins to decline and usually, growers are encouraged to go in for replantation when it is 28 years old. Through slaughter tapping, the tree’s lifetime is extended to at least 33 years.

But what happens, according to the industry players, is that replantation, which could result in growers opting for better yielding varieties, gets delayed and subsequently puts pressure on supply.

Output dip

Notwithstanding slaughter tapping, rubber production during April-August this fiscal has declined 50,000 tonnes as growers in Kerala, which accounts for over 95 per cent of the rubber production, were affected by chikungunya.

Currently, RSS 4, which is mainly used by the tyre industry that consumes nearly half of the average 8.5 lakh tonnes of rubber produced in the country, is quoted at Rs 88.25, viewed as remunerative by the plantation as well as tyre industry.