The wide gap between the production and consumption of rubber is a concern for the Rubber Board of India.
Source: Natural Habitat Adventures
Kerala used to be a home for many rubber farmers, who made a living by extracting latex from rubber trees from small plantations. In recent times, the number of such farmers is falling extensively.Â
Rubber was once the state’s prime cash crop but over the decades, the prices have risen tremendously.
Source: waste wise products inc
The process of tapping rubber trees is a labour-intensive activity. In the evening or early morning, workers make cuts deep enough to the bark for the latex to run out and be collected. This process is repeated on each tree every couple of days.
It requires proper skills to make cuts deep enough to extract latex but not damage the tree. Paying workers to do that, while the prices keep falling, has affected the business and made plantations an unattractive business.
Mr Joseph, a small plantation owner, told sources that the poor returns and high labour costs have forced many growers like him to give up their plantations.
The country’s rubber board says that the rubber industry peaked in 2013, at 913,700 tonnes. Production fell drastically to 562,000 tonnes in 2016. Even though there has been some growth, numbers haven’t risen over the 2013 figures.
The boom years were the result of favourable weather and a hike in the price of natural rubber, which peaked in the international market at 540 cents/kg in 2011. Mr Joseph notes that prices have fallen to 130 cents/kg this year.Â
Around 70% of India’s natural rubber is consumed by the tyre industry, which has grown promptly in the last few years. So while the production of rubber has been shaky, the demand for natural rubber has increased.
The wide gap between production and consumption is a concern for the country’s rubber goods sector said Rajiv Budhraja, director general of the Automotive Tyre Manufacturer Association (ATMA) to sources.
Supporting the government’s Make in India initiative he adds that tyre manufacturers don’t want to rely on exports for such a crucial material.
The increased imports of rubber have hurt Indian producers. International rubber prices are lower than domestic prices, driving down the prices further which discourages the domestic producers.
Four members of the ATMA partnered with the Rubber Board and planned to create 2,00,000 hectares of land for rubber plantations in West Bengal and North-East India.
In a span of four to five years, the Northeast will emerge as a large natural rubber base in India said Mr Budhraja.
With the growth of technology, there is hope for the rubber industry to compete again.
A Rubber Board research farm is growing the world’s first genetically modified rubber plants which will be suitable for the climate of the northeast regions of India.
Technology is the new future for the rubber plantation industry.
Some plantation owners use machines to tap the rubber. These machines are quite costly but once used they are much better than the traditional method.
With such machines, people with little to no experience can also tap rubber. The process can be faster, at least compared to the traditional one.
Technology is the new future for the rubber plantation industry.
Chinmayan MK, who has an 18-acre rubber plantation in Kerala, says he uses machines to tap the rubber. These machines are quite costly but once used they are much better than the traditional method.
With such machines, people with little to no experience can also tap rubber. The process can be faster, at least compared to the traditional one.
