Tripura to grow rubber on 30,000 additional hectares

• The government of Tripura has decided to grow the plantation crop on an additional 30,000 hectares, encouraged by the steady progress the State has been making in the production of rubber.
• Tripura is the second-largest rubber-producing State in India after Kerala.

About

On average, 90,712 metric tonnes of rubber is produced in Tripura annually, and the latex is mainly turned into rubber sheets for business. The major population of the state is involved in cultivation work on the plantations.

• Although rubber trade in the State was hindered due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the business has now returned to its original levels
• Rubber has been cultivated apace in Tripura for three decades with the help of a World Bank-funded project.
• At least 80% of rubber planters come from the State's indigenous communities.

Basic characteristics of rubber crop

• Commercial Plantation Crop: Rubber is made from the latex of a tree called Hevea Brasiliensis. It is largely perceived as a strategic industrial raw material and accorded special status globally for defence, national security and industrial development.
• Conditions for Growth: It is an equatorial crop, but under special conditions, it is also grown in tropical and sub-tropical areas.
• Temperature: Above 25°C with a moist and humid climate.
• Rainfall: More than 200 cm.
• Soil Type: Rich well-drained alluvial soil.
• A cheap and adequate supply of skilled labour is needed for this plantation crop.

Indian Scenario:

• The British established the first rubber plantation in India in 1902 on the banks of the river Periyar in Kerala. India is currently the sixth largest producer of NR in the world with one of the highest productivity (694,000 tonnes in 2017-18).
• India produces about 7 lakh tons of rubber, which is about 4 per cent of the total world’s production.
• Top Rubber Producing States: Kerala > Tamil Nadu > Karnataka.
• Government Initiatives: Rubber Plantation Development Scheme and the Rubber Group Planting Scheme are examples of government-led initiatives for rubber.
• 100% Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) in plantations of rubber, coffee, tea, cardamom, palm oil tree and olive oil tree.
• Major Producers Globally: Thailand, Indonesia, Malaysia, Vietnam, China and India.
• Major Consumers: China, India, USA, Japan, Thailand, Indonesia and Malaysia.

Economic prospects of rubber

• Till 1910, the demand for natural rubber in the world was limited. Later the development of the automobile industry made rubber an important raw material of commerce. Now it is widely used for a variety of purposes, from erasing pencil marks to the manufacturing of tires and tubes and a large variety of industrial products

India’s National Rubber Policy:

• The Department of Commerce brought out the National Rubber Policy in March 2019.
• It has several provisions to support the Natural Rubber (NR) production sector and the entire rubber industry value chain.
• It covers new planting and replanting of rubber, support for growers, processing and marketing of natural rubber, labour shortage, grower forums, external trade, Centre-State integrated strategies, research, training, rubber product manufacturing and export, climate change concerns and carbon market.
• It is based on the short term and long term strategies identified by the Task Force constituted in the rubber sector for mitigating problems faced by rubber growers in the country.
• Developmental and research activities for supporting the NR sector for the welfare of growers are carried out through Rubber Board by implementing the scheme Sustainable and Inclusive Development of Natural Rubber Sector in the Medium Term Framework (MTF) (2017-18 to 2019-20).
• The developmental activities include financial and technical assistance for planting, supply of quality planting materials, support for grower forums, and training and skill development programmes.

GM Rubber

Last year, the world's first Genetically Modified (GM) rubber plant developed by Rubber Research Institute was planted in Assam. It is the first of its kind developed exclusively for this region and is expected to grow well under the climatic conditions of the mountainous northeastern region.

• The GM rubber has additional copies of the gene MnSOD, or manganese-containing superoxide dismutase, inserted in the plant, which is expected to tide over the severe cold conditions during winter in the northeast.
• The MnSOD gene has the ability to protect plants from the adverse effects of severe environmental stresses such as cold and drought.
• Need
  • Natural rubber is a native of warm humid Amazon forests and is not naturally suited for the colder conditions in the Northeast, which is one of the largest producers of rubber in India.
  • The growth of young rubber plants remains suspended during the winter months, which are also characterised by progressive drying of the soil.
  • This is the reason for the long immaturity period of this crop in the region.

Exam track

Prelims take away

• Rubber crop
• India’s National Rubber Policy
• GM crops

Mains track

Q. Critically analyze whether it is prudent to go the GM way for solution to the hunger problem?