A media delegation from Meghalaya and Sikkim, on a press tour to Kerala organised by the Press Information Bureau (PIB), visited the Rubber Research Institute of India (RRII) and learnt about rubber cultivation, research, processing and value addition, with particular reference to the growth of the sector in Meghalaya.
M. Vasanthgesan, IRS, Executive Director, RRII, led the interaction. Dr. Debabrata Rai, Director (Research); Dr. Siju T, Rubber Production Commissioner; and Priya Varma, Director (Training) were also present.
The Executive Director highlighted the significant expansion of rubber cultivation in Meghalaya, where the area under rubber has increased from around 10,000 hectares more than a decade ago to approximately 33,000 hectares at present. The growth reflects increasing interest among farmers in rubber as a plantation crop with long-term income potential.
The delegation was briefed on the Rubber Board’s support to growers in Meghalaya through its Regional Office at Tura and eight field stations across the state, particularly in the Garo Hills. The field network provides technical assistance for plantation development and management.
Rubber cultivation has an important socioeconomic dimension for farming communities, as mature trees can provide regular latex yields for several decades. The long-term income potential makes the crop an important plantation-based livelihood for growers in the state.
The interaction also covered the role of Rubber Producers’ Societies (RPS) in enabling growers to collectively access technical assistance, infrastructure and processing facilities. There are approximately 2,600 RPSs across India, including more than 300 in the Northeast.
In Meghalaya, efforts have also focused on improving the management of existing plantations. Around 2,000–3,000 hectares of rubber plantations were already present in the state, but some were not being tapped or managed systematically, affecting productivity. The intervention has supported their revival and improved management.
Two Group Processing Centres (GPCs) were established last year under Green Hill RPS and Laurel Hills RPS in the Mendipathar area. The centres enable growers to collectively process latex into rubber sheets, allowing value addition closer to the point of production and potentially improving farm-gate returns compared with the sale of raw latex.
The delegation was also informed about the dealer network for rubber across the Northeast, including Meghalaya, which provides established marketing channels for growers.
While Sikkim does not have significant rubber cultivation, the visit provided its media representatives an opportunity to understand the wider rubber value chain and the scope for downstream processing and value-added activities associated with the sector.
The delegation also learnt about the role of the Rubber Research Station in Meghalaya, which undertakes research and provides technical guidance suited to the state’s agro-climatic conditions.
The visit offered the media representatives a first-hand understanding of the institutional, scientific and processing support behind the development of rubber cultivation in Meghalaya, as well as the wider possibilities for value addition in the Northeast.
