1.25 L hectares covered under rubber plantation in NE
Under Project INROAD, funded by 4 tyre companies, Assam has already achieved 37,000 hectares of land under rubber cultivation; its target being 43,000 hectares
AT Photo: 37,000 hectares of land under rubber cultivation in Assam under Project INROAD
Guwahati, Dec. 3: Under the project INROAD (Indian Natural Rubber Operations for Assisted Development) funded by four top tyre companies, an area of 1,25,272 hectares have been covered under new rubber plantation across 94 districts in Northeast and parts of West Bengal, in what is said to be one of the highest natural rubber plantations ever achieved in the country in four years.
Of the total target of 43,000 hectares in Assam, 37,000 hectares have been achieved.
The current rubber production in the Northeast is around 1.2 lakh metric tonnes and the project INROAD aims to double it in the next eight to ten years.
Project INROAD entails the development of 200,000 hectares of rubber plantation in the Northeastern states and West Bengal. It is being financially supported by four members of the Automotive Tyre Manufacturers Association (ATMA) including Apollo, Ceat, JK, and MRF and implemented by the Rubber Board of India.
The tyre companies are pumping in Rs 1,100 crore for the project, of which Rs 1,000 crore will be for plantation and the rest for skill development of farmers and building modern smokehouses. INROAD is a landmark initiative and the first of its kind in the world where the tyre industry is contributing directly towards the development of rubber plantations.
"We are targeting around 2.5 lakh farmers in the region. The share of North East in India's area under rubber plantation before the launch of the INROAD project was 23 per cent. Once the objective of developing plantations in an additional 2 lakh hectares under the INROAD project is achieved, it is estimated that the share of NE states will increase to 38 per cent. Similarly, the share of North East in India's natural rubber production will go up from 16 per cent currently to 32 per cent," an official told The Assam Tribune.
"Notwithstanding challenges, nearly 90 per cent of the plantation target for the first four years under project INROAD has been achieved. Beyond expanding planting areas, the project has seen significant progress in strengthening local nurseries, and building grower capacities, a testament to the collaborative efforts among tyre companies and the Rubber Board of India", said Rajiv Budhraja, Director General, Automotive Tyre Manufacturers Association.
India's natural rubber production has shown a steady growth, registering a 2.1 per cent increase in FY 2023-24 at 8.57 lakh tonnes compared with 8.39 lakh tonnes a year ago. With a production of around 25,000 tonnes, Assam is the fourth largest producer in the country after Kerala, Tripura and Karnataka.
- By Staff Reporter
