Guwahati, Dec 2: Over 1.25 lakh hectares of new natural rubber (NR) plantations have been established across 94 districts in the Northeast and parts of West Bengal as of FY2024-25 This marks one of India’s most significant rubber plantation expansions within just four years.
Spearheaded by the Rubber Board of India and backed by leading tyre manufacturers—Apollo, Ceat, JK, and MRF—under the Automotive Tyre Manufacturers Association (ATMA), Project INROAD aims to develop 2 lakh hectares of NR plantations. It is the first initiative globally where the tyre industry directly invests in plantation development, transforming the region’s agricultural landscape.
“Despite challenges, nearly 90% of the four-year plantation target has been met. In addition to expanding planting areas, the project has strengthened local nurseries and built grower capacities, showcasing the powerful collaboration between tyre companies and the Rubber Board of India,” said Rajiv Budiraja, Director General of ATMA, on the project’s fourth anniversary.
Over the last four years, the project has distributed a record 5.3 crore planting materials, engaging resource-deprived farmers with land holdings of less than one acre. Upon completion, Project INROAD is expected to uplift the economic and social conditions of 2.5 lakh beneficiaries.
Before the project’s launch, the Northeast contributed 23% of India’s NR plantation area. With the addition of 2 lakh hectares under Project INROAD, the region’s share is projected to rise to 38%, and its NR production share is expected to double from 16% to 32%.
“As the plantations mature, the focus will shift to developing infrastructure, including model smokehouses and disseminating advanced practices among rubber growers” he said.
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