Natural Rubber Cultivation

Natural Rubber Cultivation

Subject : Environment

Context : After a moderate post-pandemic revival, the price of natural rubber (NR) has rashed to a 16-month low of ₹150 per kg (RSS grade 4) in the Indian market.

Concept :

• India is currently the world’s fifth largest producer of natural rubber while it also remains the second biggest consumer of the material globally. (About 40% of India’s total natural rubber consumption is currently met through imports)
• A latest report by the latest report by the Rubber Board has projected the natural rubber production and consumption in India during 2022-23 as 8,50,000 tonnes and 12,90,000 tonnes.

About:

• Natural rubber is a polymer of isoprene, an organic compound. Rubber is a coherent elastic solid obtained from the latex of a number of tropical trees of which Hevea brasiliensis is the most important.
• Rubber trees have an economic life period of around 32 years in plantations.

Cultivation of Rubber Trees:

• The trees demand well-drained and well-weathered soils.
• Lateritic type, alluvial, sedimentary types, and non lateritic red soils are best for the growth of these trees.
• An evenly distributed rainfall with at least 100 rainy days a year and a temperature range of about 20 to 34°C are optimum conditions for the growth of the Hevea rubber tree.
• A humidity of around 80%, 2000 hours of sunshine, and absence of strong winds are also necessary for the best results.

Distribution:

• The first rubber plantations in India were set up in 1895 on the hill slopes of Kerala.
• However, rubber cultivation on a commercial scale was introduced in 1902.
• Kerala is the largest producer of natural rubber in India.
• Tamil Nadu , Karnataka, Tripura, Assam, Andaman and Nicobar, Goa etc are some other rubber producing States.

Rubber Board:

• It was constituted under the Rubber Act, 1947 and Rubber Rules 1955. Rubber Board is a statutory body under the Ministry of Commerce and Industry for the overall development of the rubber industry in the country.
• Head Office of the Board is located at Kottayam in the State of Kerala.