Agartala: Tripura is aiming to increase the rubber plantation to 69,000 hectare, after the state has surpassed its five-year rubber cultivation target of 30,000 hectare under the initiative of Automotive Tyre Manufacturers’ Association (ATMA), an official said on Sunday.
Indian Natural Rubber Operations for Assisted Development (INROAD), backed by ATMA, was launched in 2021 to develop 2 lakh hectare of natural rubber plantation in Northeast and West Bengal over five years.
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Under this initiative, the Rubber Board had set a target of 30,000 hectare for Tripura.
Rubber Board’s Development Officer, Arunabha Majumder told an agency that Tripura has already raised rubber plantations on 47,747 hectare against its five-year target of 30,000 hectare. The state is also expecting to increase the plantation areas up to 69,000 hectare.”
Rubber plantations under INROAD suffered setbacks in Assam, Manipur and West Bengal due to various reasons, Tripura has become the focal point of the plantation.
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Majumder said that Tripura will be a take a vital role in fulfilling the target of raising rubber plantations on 2 lakh hectare by the end of this year.
“We are focusing to maximise the plantation areas in the state,” he added
Tripura is the second highest natural rubber producer in India after Kerala, with a total of 110,648 hectares of rubber plantation in all producing 1, 10, 717 metric tons of natural rubber annually.
Majumder said the Rubber Board has been assisting rubber growers in all spheres, from planting to selling
Despite these efforts, Majumder expressed concern over the less value addition to natural production of rubber in Tripura.
“Less than 4 per cent of the rubber produced in the state has got value addition, while around 96 per cent rubber sheets or latex go outside the state. Only three companies are engaging in rubber-based products here,” he said.