Rehabilitation of Jhum Cultivators

through Rubber Plantation-

Problems and Prospects

Indraneel Bhowmik
Rehabilitation of Jhum Cultivators
through Rubber Plantation
“Shifting cultivation is the custom of
cultivating clearings scattered in the
reservoir of natural vegetation(forest or
grass-woodland) and of abandoning
them as soon as the soil is exhausted;
And this includes the custom of shifting
the homesteads in order to follow the
cultivator’s search for new fertile land.”

2006 ICHR Seminar @ TU,Agartala

Rehabilitation of Jhum Cultivators
through Rubber Plantation
Rubber- raw material for 50,000
articles.
Products- aeroplane tyres, tubes, hose
pipes, shoes, latex goods, erasers,
rubber bands, etc.
Two types- Synthetic (petrochemical
feeds); Natural (latex from rubber tree).

2006 ICHR Seminar @ TU,Agartala

Rehabilitation of Jhum Cultivators
through Rubber Plantation
World market: SR- 58%, NR-42%.
India: NR- 78%, SR-22%.
Natural Rubber- Hevea Brasilliensis.
Nodal Agency- Rubber Board,
Kottayam(hq).

2006 ICHR Seminar @ TU,Agartala

Rehabilitation of Jhum Cultivators
through Rubber Plantation
Rubber plantations – gestation period 7
years
Economic life- 28-30 years
Employment potential- one man per
hectare
Earning potential- Rs. 7000.00 to
10000.00 per ha per month

2006 ICHR Seminar @ TU,Agartala

Rehabilitation of Jhum Cultivators
through Rubber Plantation
Traditional areas Non- Traditional Areas
Kerala- North Eastern States
Kanyakumari district Tripura
of Tamil Nadu Assam
Karnataka
Goa
Orissa

2006 ICHR Seminar @ TU,Agartala

Rehabilitation of Jhum Cultivators
through Rubber Plantation
Events in Tripura
1963- Forest Department, Manu and
Patichhari
1969- Rubber Board office at Agartala
1976-TFDPC
1983-TRPC
1992-World Bank Project
2005- Rubber Mission

2006 ICHR Seminar @ TU,Agartala

Year Area(ha) Tappable Prodn Yield Farms
1992-93 14305 5172 4030 779 4207

1993-94 15159 6982 5545 794 4830

1994-95 16233 7782 6311 811 5976

1995-96 17885 9074 7258 800 7793

1996-97 19200 10516 8518 810 9507

1997-98 20823 11467 8926 778 11454

1998-99 22578 11395 8946 785 13146

1999-00 23847 11895 9360 787 14866

2000-01 24793 11000 9980 907 15916

2001-02 26045 13529 12999 961 17605

2002-03 26884 14418 14830 1029 18548

2006 ICHR Seminar @ TU,Agartala
Rehabilitation of Jhum Cultivators
through Rubber Plantation
Yield is much below the national
average- 1584kgs/ha
Average size of the plot: Tripura-
1.43ha, India-0.57ha
Growth rate of area in Tripura is much
higher than the national average
National Bureau of Soil Survey-
100000ha in Tripura is suitable

2006 ICHR Seminar @ TU,Agartala

Rehabilitation of Jhum Cultivators
through Rubber Plantation
Resettlement of Jhum cultivators
Top priority of the government-
Agencies-
Tribal Welfare Department- financial
assistance, organisational help
Rubber Board- technical and financial
assistance
TFDPC- implementation and marketing
TRPC- implementation and management

2006 ICHR Seminar @ TU,Agartala

Rehabilitation of Jhum Cultivators
through Rubber Plantation
Block plantation scheme
45 plantation centres- all over the state
2760 ha
2451 beneficiaries
Rubber Producers Societies
1st RPS in North East- Tripureshwari RPS at
Mirza, Kakraban Block, South Tripura

2006 ICHR Seminar @ TU,Agartala

Rehabilitation of Jhum Cultivators
through Rubber Plantation
Jhum Cultivation has decreased.
223 sq.kms under jhum.
Minimum area under shifting cultivation
one time or other- 1115 sq.kms.
Natural Regeneration in shifting
cultivation in Tripura in 1997 as
compared to 1995- 4 sq.kms.

2006 ICHR Seminar @ TU,Agartala

Rehabilitation of Jhum Cultivators
through Rubber Plantation
Not profitable
Lack of land
Younger generation not interested in
jhum
Elders misses Jhum, feels it to be part
of their culture, lifestyle
Not bothered with environmental issues

2006 ICHR Seminar @ TU,Agartala

Rehabilitation of Jhum Cultivators
through Rubber Plantation
Rubber Extremely Profitable
Prices of RSS increased almost threefold
in the last three years
Average annual growth rate (1999-
2005) of farm gate price in South
Tripura District- 11.79%

2006 ICHR Seminar @ TU,Agartala

Rehabilitation of Jhum Cultivators
through Rubber Plantation

Craze for tilla land by well off

tribals and non-tribals
Large scale leasing of land
Illegal occupation of forest land
Increase in land price

2006 ICHR Seminar @ TU,Agartala

Rehabilitation of Jhum Cultivators
through Rubber Plantation

Outsiders as plantation owners

Possibility of land owners turning
out to be tappers?
Fears of ethnic clashes???

2006 ICHR Seminar @ TU,Agartala

Rehabilitation of Jhum Cultivators
through Rubber Plantation

Thank You

2006 ICHR Seminar @ TU,Agartala