1. Rehabilitation of Jhum Cultivators
through Rubber Plantation-
Problems and Prospects
Indraneel Bhowmik
2. 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
3. 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
5. 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
6. 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
7. 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
9. 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
10. 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
11. 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
12. 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
13. 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
14. 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
15. 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
16. 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
17. Rehabilitation of Jhum Cultivators
through Rubber Plantation
Thank You
2006 ICHR Seminar @ TU,Agartala
