RUBBER
BOARD - AGRICULTURE
News: Rubber Board to increase area under
rubber in Northeast
What's
in the news?
●
In a move to expand the area in
non-traditional States, the Rubber Board was implementing a project to bring 2
lakh hectares under natural rubber in the Northeastern States, except Sikkim,
but including West Bengal.
●
The tyre manufacturers, who were the main
consumers of rubber, were investing ₹1,000 crore in the five-year project that
commenced in 2021.
Key
takeaways:
●
The Rubber Board, jointly with the Central
government and the Automotive Tyre Manufacturers’ Association, is implementing
a project to expand the area under natural rubber in the Northeastern States.
Backdrop:
●
Commercial cultivation of natural rubber
was introduced in India by the British,
although the experimental efforts to grow rubber on a commercial scale in India
were initiated as early as 1873 at
the Botanical Gardens, Calcutta.
Rubber
Board of India:
●
The Rubber Board is a statutory body constituted by the Government of India, under the Rubber Act 1947, for the overall
development of the rubber industry in the country.
●
The Ministry
of Commerce & Industry, Government of India, established the Rubber
Board in 1947 to strengthen the development of the rubber industry by offering
financial assistance, consolatory and regulatory services.
Head
Office -
Kottayam, Kerala
Functions:
●
The Board is responsible for the
development of the rubber industry in the country by assisting and encouraging
research, development, extension and training activities related to rubber.
●
It also maintains statistical data of
rubber, takes steps to promote marketing of rubber and undertake labour welfare
activities.
●
A crucial function of the Rubber Board is
issuing licenses to rubber producers, manufacturers, and exporters/traders.
This license, known as the "Rubber
Board license/registration," is mandatory for anyone involved in
rubber manufacturing and export.
Production:
●
Traditional rubber-growing states
comprising Kerala and Tamil Nadu account
for 81% of production.
●
Major non-traditional rubber growing
regions are the North Eastern states
of Tripura, Assam and Meghalaya, Odisha, Karnataka, Maharashtra and West Bengal.