The Hindu : Karnataka / Bangalore News : Rubber cultivation to be given a boost in State

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Sunday, Mar 23, 2008
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Karnataka

Karnataka - Bangalore

Rubber cultivation to be given a boost in State

Special Correspondent

One lakh hectares identified in five non-traditional districts

— Photo: V. Sreenivasa Murthy

Minister explains: Union Minister of State for Commerce Jairam Ramesh addressing a press conference in Bangalore on Saturday as Coffee Board Chairman G.V. Krishna Rau sips the brew.

— Photo: M.A. Sriram

His story: Vikram Sampath with his book, which is slated for release on Monday.

Bangalore: Union Minister of State for Commerce Jairam Ramesh on Saturday announced a slew of measures to boost production of plantation crops such as coffee, cardamom, pepper, tobacco and rubber in some southern States.

Speaking to presspersons here, Mr. Ramesh said that the Rubber Board had identified Dakshina Kannada, Udupi, Shimoga, Uttara Kannada and Chikmagalur districts in the State for cultivation of rubber.

Potential studied

The Minister said that the Board had studied the potential for rubber cultivation in non-traditional areas and concluded that rubber could be planted on one lakh hectares in these districts. The State already has 26,000 hectares under rubber.

He said the Board would launch a special scheme to grow rubber on 2,500 hectares over a five-year period.

Subsidy to be given

A subsidy of 35 per cent would be given to growers as an incentive. Kerala and Tripura were the two major rubber producing States in the country with the former accounting for 93 per cent of the country’s production.

India, he said, was the fourth largest rubber consumer in the world, and in a couple of years it would become the second largest consumer after China. If production was not increased, India would become a major importer of the product.

It was now importing 70,000 tonnes out of its requirement of 8,50,000 tonnes.

Tobacco production

Mr. Ramesh said the Tobacco Board had decided to raise the tobacco production quota in the State to 100 million kg from 95 million kg. Growers, who had demanded a quota of 120 million kg had actually grown only 88 million kg, he said. The quota for Andhra Pradesh had been fixed at 170 million kg.

With the phasing out of tobacco cultivation in the U.S. and Zimbabwe and increasing demand from China, India had signed an agreement with the latter to export 10 million kg of tobacco. India earned $410 million in 2007-08 from tobacco exports.

He said Union Minister for Chemicals and Fertilizers Ramvilas Paswan had assured him that sulphate of potash would be brought under the subsidy regime as demanded by tobacco growers. Tobacco was also required by the pharmaceutical and nutraceutical industries and not just the cigarette manufacturers.

He said tobacco growers would get incentives if they diversified to other crops, agro-forestry and medicinal plants. In Ongole district of Andhra Pradesh growers had replaced tobacco with Bengal gram and paddy, he added.

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