The North-East will soon be converted into a hub for cultivating rubber, a commodity for which the region has tremendous potential, Union Minister of State for Commerce Jairam Ramesh said.

A task force has been formed with members from the North Eastern Council (NEC), the Apex planning body for the region, the Department for the Development of North-East and the Rubber Board, to frame an action plan for this by April 8, Mr. Ramesh informed.

This decision was taken at a sectoral meet and special meeting of the NEC which was also attended by other Union Ministers.

Stating that there would be palpable results within the next seven to ten years, Mr. Ramesh regretted that only 13 per cent of the region’s potential for growing rubber was currently exploited. The region could grow rubber on 4,50,000 hectares, but only 58,000 hectares are under cultivation.

Assam, according to Mr. Ramesh, had tremendous potential for rubber plantation as it had 1,00,000 hectares of eligible land but only 30,000 hectares is currently under cultivation.

DONER Minister Mani Shankar Aiyar said apart from rubber, three other commodities that could be grown in the region were identified at Friday’s meeting. They are tea, spices and coffee, all of which had tremendous growth potential.

While Kerala is the leader in rubber cultivation, contributing nearly 82 per cent of the country’s total produce, the northeast only produces 9.8 per cent at present, Ramesh said.

The aim is to increase production 10 times so that the North-East could be the country’s largest rubber producing region, he said. “We should also have a relook at the entire staffing pattern of the boards, which has been Kerala-centric so far, and strengthen offices in the northeastern region”, he said.

“Rubber plantation on a large scale will wean away tribal youths from taking the path of militancy as has been seen in Tripura, and thus help in improving the law and order situation,” he said.

Mr. Ramesh said, Rs 2300 crores has been set aside as a Special Purpose Tea Fund (SPTF) to give a thrust to the tea industry. This amount will be spent in the next 15 years to replant and rejuvenate tea bushes that are over 40 years old.

“This will benefit nearly 800 tea gardens of both the Brahmaputra and Barak Valley and enhance production on a total land area of more than one lakh hectares,” he said.

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