Date:15/05/2007 URL: http://www.thehindubusinessline.com/2007/05/15/stories/2007051500211400.htm

Back Campaign for re-plantation in rubber estates launched

Aravindan

`Replant 2007' campaign to be launched in Kottayam on May 14

FOR BETTERMENT: The Rubber Board Chairman, Mr Sajen Peter, inaugurating the re-plantation campaign in Kottayam on Monday.

Kottayam May 14 A month-long intensive campaign to create awareness among rubber growers for replanting old and uneconomic plantations was launched by Mr Sajen Peter, Chairman, Rubber Board, on Monday here.

The campaign - "Replant 2007" organised in Tamil Nadu, Karnataka and Kerala will conclude on June 18.

The Rubber Board intends to interact with 1 lakh rubber growers in 4,000 centres where group meeting have been arranged.

The board hopes that it will be able to convince the rubber-growing community the urgent need for replanting their old plantations.

Inaugurating the campaign, Mr Peter said the Rubber Board would give priority for empowering small holding sector.

Small growers could understand the research findings and therefore, they were not hesitant to implement them in the field.

He said the new approach of the Rubber Research Institute would be to develop clones suitable for each zone. The rubber replanting subsidy scheme was introduced 50 years ago in 1957.

Though one lakh hectares are available for replanting, it could be done only in a phased manner, a senior official told Business Line in reply to a question.

The present programme is to complete the replanting in 50,000 hectares during the next five years.

The Rubber Board has put up a proposal before the Commerce Ministry for the allocation of funds and orders are awaited.

The subsidy for replanting is estimated to be Rs 24,500 per hectare, which is 25 per cent of the total expenditure.