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Rubber plantations losing ground in Kanniyakumari after ‘Ockhi’
Gone are the days when Kanniyakumari district thrived on rubber plantations. The activity, which was earlier the mainstay of the local economy, has been losing ground of late due to various reasons.
By
migrator
migrator
Madurai
Plantation trees are susceptible to wind damage and rubber is no exception. The fate of Kanniyakumari, the state’s only rubber-growing district, which bore the brunt of cyclone Ockhi at the end of November last year, is uncertain as rubber growers have been left in a quandary.
The cyclone damaged several rubber trees that are shallow rooted. Among around 22,000 hectares of rubber plantations owned by private patta holders, mostly in parts of Kalkulam, Vilavancode and Thovalai taluks, one-third was affected by the cyclone and were yet to recover from the loss, according to C Balachandran Nair, secretary, Kanyakumari District Rubber Farmers Association.
Apparently, there was no cooperation from the Forest Department as there were bottlenecks in obtaining permission from the District Forest Committee for replanting.
Four years ago, more than 30,000 hectares of rubber plantations owned by patta holders were notified as Private Forest Land under the Tamil Nadu Preservation of Private Forest Act in the district.
The rubber tree grows to a height of about 30 metres and starts yielding latex after seven years. After this gestation period, the trees are ready to tap. The Rubber Research Institute of India (RRII) developed ‘RRII -105’, a high-yielding clone used in the plantation.
Rubber deals in four different forms and raw material such as ‘ribbed smoke sheet’, ‘estate brown crepe’, ‘centrifuged latex’ and ‘skim crepe’. Further, rubber is imported from countries such as Indonesia, Thailand, Malaysia and Vietnam.
The volume of rubber production touched 8.75 lakh ton in Kerala, which constitutes about 80 per cent of production in India, three years ago, but in the aftermath of the floods that devastated the neighbouring state, its production is projected to fall drastically this fiscal year. About 60 per cent of rubber production caters to the needs of the tyre manufacturing sector.
Nearly three years ago, rubber trees fetched considerable income when a kilogram of rubber was marketed at prices ranging from Rs 230 to Rs 240, but it has come down drastically to Rs 110 now. Though the cost of production was high, it fetched less price than its production cost.
To motivate small-scale rubber farmers, who owns less than five acres land, subsidy was provided to them in Kerala. However, the Tamil Nadu government extends no such help to lift our spirits, Nair said.
According to G Austin, proprietor of a rubber plantation, rubber trees were the worst hit in cyclone Ockhi, and several plantation sites have been converted to coconut farms, which were not affected much then. Normally, synthetic rubber price would increase whenever petroleum price rose, but it seemingly contradicts that now, Austin said.
With around two lakh farmers relying on rubber manufacturing in Kanniyakumari, the sector has been ignored by the government, said M Valsa Kumar, district general secretary, Estate Workers Union, CITU. Most of the plantation workers, who were unorganised, were forced to take up menial jobs.
Since the Private Forest Act was implemented in Kanniyakumari in 2010, several parts of rubber plantations have come under the watch of the Forest personnel. Moreover, the plantation workers were worried as they were exposed to wild animals such as tiger, samba deer, monkey and snake.
The rubber sector took a beating as many major sea-ports across the country had been witnessing a considerable volume of rubber imports. Before 2006, the state government announced the setting up of a ‘rubber park’ in Kanniyakumari, but it still remains a dream as no headway seems to have been made, he said.
As far as Arasu Rubber Corporation, which holds around 10,000-acre land in Kanniyakumari, was concerned, rubber produced in the region has less magnesium and volatile fatty acid (VFA) content and contributes primarily to the production of surgical gloves, which were exported largely to Germany. A rubber tree could yield up to a period of 28 years, sources said.
Kanniyakumari Collector Prashant M Wadnere told DT Next that assistance was extended to all banana and clove growers, who suffered damages in the wake of cyclone Ockhi, under the state government’s ‘special livelihood rehabilitation package’. Such assistance was not provided to rubber growers as many of them had not been willing to take up replantation.
According to a senior official, rubber was the most affected crop among all horticultural crops. Under the National Mission for Sustainable Agriculture (NMSA) - Rainfed Area Development (RAD), funds of Rs 352 lakh were sanctioned for replanting rubber. Besides, Rs 822.4 lakh was sanctioned under the National Horticulture Mission for bee keeping to support affected rubber farmers.
State Disaster Relief Fund input assistance of Rs 18,000 per hectare was disbursed to 12,692 affected rubber farmers. Under the replanting programme, Rs 25,000 per hectare was provided as back-end subsidy, he said.
STORM AFTERMATH
- Four years ago, more than 30,000 hectares of rubber plantations owned by patta holders were notified as Private Forest Land under the Tamil Nadu Preservation of Private Forest Act
- Since the act was implemented in Kanniyakumari in 2010, several parts of rubber plantations have come under the watch of the Forest personnel
- According to the Collector, assistance was extended to all banana and clove growers, who suffered damage in the wake of cyclone Ockhi
- Three years ago, a kilogram of rubber was marketed at prices ranging from Rs 230 to Rs 240, but it has dropped to Rs 110 now
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