NATURAL RUBBER IN INDIA.
India
is now the 4th largest producer of Natural
Rubber in the world after Thailand,
Indonesia and Malaysia, producing over 700, 000 MT in 2003
-04. In productivity India is ranked first in the
world, producing an average of 1592 MT of natural rubber
per Hectare of rubber plantation last year. No wonder,
some of the best rubber plantations in the world exist in
India.
A
tropical tree named Hevea brasiliensis also known as para
rubber tree is the most important commercial source of natural
rubber. This tree is a native of the Amazon
river basin of South America. Hevea rubber tree’s introduction
to India,
then a colony of Britain is intertwined with many interesting
events.
In
the 19th century, products manufacturing industry
was flourishing in Britain.
During the period another tropical tree named Ficus elastica
and known as Assam rubber was the principal source of natural
rubber in India.
But the rubber produced was inferior in quality. The entire
rubber collection from this rubber yielding Indian tree
was exported to Britain. In 1876, the South American rubber
tree, Hevea brasiliensis, was introduced to tropical Asia
through Kew Garden in the UK with the seeds brought from
Brazil by Sir Henry Wickham. India received a few of the
seedlings which were planted in the south western region.
But the foundation of the Indian rubber plantation industry
was laid in 1902 by European planters when the first commercial
plantation was raised. Soon the production of inferior quality
natural rubber from Ficus elastica came to an
end in India with Hevea tree coming under yield. Hevea
rubber is now grown in the tropical regions of Asia,
Africa and America.
By
1910 Hevea rubber plantation in India reached 10,000 hectares.
After India got independence in 1947, large scale expansion
of rubber plantation was taken up with the constitution
of the Rubber Board under the Ministry of Commerce, Govt.
of India. The area under rubber increased from about
75000 hectares during 1950-51 to the present level of over
580,000 hectares. Natural rubber production
increased from 15830 MT during 1950-51 to over 700,000 MT
now. The productivity which was only 284 kg per hectare
during 1950-51 is now the world’s highest of 1592
kg per hectare.
Kerala,
the southern most state of India is producing 90% of NR
in India. Kavanar Latex Ltd is located in
the dense rubber growing tract of this panoramic state of
Kerala. India can supply now adequate quantities of natural
rubber regularly in most of the forms or standard to meet
the quality and price choice of the global rubber consumers.
Many quality conscious customers in the world find Indian
rubber, the right choice of material for manufacture of
rubber goods. More and more reputed customers from key global
markets have started to buy natural rubber from India now.
