Agartala: The Government of Tripura is soon going to launch its ambitious Mini Rubber Mission project largely focusing on value-addition and incentivise processing, a top official of the Industries and Commerce department has said.
The project’s main objective is to upgrade the quality of rubber produced and the upkeep of the industry as well. Through this scheme, industries interested in setting up rubber-based production units of gloves, syringes and other related matters would also be encouraged, the official said.
The Automotive Tyre Manufacturers Association (ATMA) had committed to invest Rs 1,100 crore in the entire northeast region to give a fillip to the scale of production as well as processing. As Tripura comes second in terms of the production of rubber all over the country, the state is expected to receive the larger share of the committed investment.
But sources said low-quality rubber sheets produced in the state have turned out to be a big concern, due to which, the funds are being kept on hold.
ATMA is also waiting for the state’s policy on the rubber for disbursement of the funds allocated for the state.
“To sort these problems, the Rubber Mission has already been drafted and it will soon be made public. We are waiting for a Cabinet nod. As soon as we get that, the matter will be completely official. Otherwise, I have some reservations in divulging all the components of the project,” said Abhishek Chandra, Special Secretary, Industries and Commerce Department.
The total area covered by rubber plantations in the state is spread over 86,892 hectares. The total production of rubber is 90,712 per annum in Tripura. Apart from that, under the Chief Minister’s Rubber Mission, 30,000 more hectares of land have been brought under the rubber plantation.
But sources said low-quality rubber sheets produced in the state have turned out to be a big concern. And, due to this, the funds are being kept on hold.
“To sort these problems out, the Rubber Mission has already been drafted and it will soon be made public. We are waiting for a Cabinet nod. As soon as we get that, the matter will be completely official. Otherwise, I have some reservations in divulging all the components of the project,” said Abhishek Chandra, Special Secretary, Industries and Commerce Department.
He also said that ATMA is also waiting for the state’s policy on the rubber for disbursement of the funds allocated for the state.
Sources said, “The main reason behind the downgraded quality of the rubber sheets is unscientific tapping. The rubber tapping done in Tripura is not scientifically approved. The sheets are not properly cleaned and so when it goes to the market it fetches lower prices. Even the approach in the incision of mature plants is unscientific. To address these issues, the mission has been drafted. Through this new scheme, scientific tapping of rubber would be encouraged and incentivised.”
Sources added that a total of 600 people have recently been trained on scientific methods by the skills department, and in the days to come, they will impart training to field workers.
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