The R.P.-Sanjiv Goenka group-owned tea and plantations company, Harrisons Malayalam, plans to develop rubber plantations on 4,000-5,000 hectares in Ghana on long-term lease basis.
The company would invest nearly Rs 300 crore for setting up the plantations, said N. Dharmaraj, Executive Director of Harrisons Malayalam .
“We visited Ghana recently and held discussions with (government) officials for developing rubber plantations. They are yet to get back on our proposal,” Dharmaraj told newspersons on the sidelines of a tea conclave organised by the Indian Chamber of Commerce, here on Friday.
According to him, it takes around five-to-six years for a rubber plantation to mature. A hectare of plantation generally yields about 1,800 kg of crop annually.
“Rubber prices have come down drastically in the last few years. We are therefore looking at product differentiation,” he said.
The company will look at producing more of technically specified rubber for addressing the needs of specific industries such as latex manufacturers, glove manufacturers and sports goods manufacturers, he added.