The Rubber Board is a statutory body constituted by the
Government of India
The Government of India (ISO: ; often abbreviated as GoI), known as the Union Government or Central Government but often simply as the Centre, is the national government of the Republic of India, a federal democracy located in South Asia, c ...
, under the
Rubber Act
Rubber, also called India rubber, latex, Amazonian rubber, ''caucho'', or ''caoutchouc'', as initially produced, consists of polymers of the organic compound isoprene, with minor impurities of other organic compounds. Thailand, Malaysia, and ...
1947, for the overall development of the
rubber
Rubber, also called India rubber, latex, Amazonian rubber, ''caucho'', or ''caoutchouc'', as initially produced, consists of polymers of the organic compound isoprene, with minor impurities of other organic compounds. Thailand, Malaysia, and ...
industry in the country.
Head Office is in
Kottayam
Kottayam () is a municipal town in the Indian state of Kerala. Flanked by the Western Ghats on the east and the Vembanad Lake and paddy fields of Kuttanad on the west. It is the district headquarters of Kottayam district, located in south-we ...
,
Kerala
Kerala ( ; ) is a state on the Malabar Coast of India. It was formed on 1 November 1956, following the passage of the States Reorganisation Act, by combining Malayalam-speaking regions of the erstwhile regions of Cochin, Malabar, South ...
Genesis of the Rubber Board
Commercial cultivation of natural rubber was introduced in
India
India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...
by the
British
British may refer to:
Peoples, culture, and language
* British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories, and Crown Dependencies.
** Britishness, the British identity and common culture
* British English, ...
, although the experimental efforts to grow rubber on a commercial scale in India were initiated as early as 1873 at the
Botanical Gardens
A botanical garden or botanic gardenThe terms ''botanic'' and ''botanical'' and ''garden'' or ''gardens'' are used more-or-less interchangeably, although the word ''botanic'' is generally reserved for the earlier, more traditional gardens, an ...
,
Calcutta
Kolkata (, or , ; also known as Calcutta , List of renamed places in India#West Bengal, the official name until 2001) is the Capital city, capital of the Indian States and union territories of India, state of West Bengal, on the eastern ba ...
. The first commercial Hevea plantations in India were established at
Thattekadu in 1902. The importance of rubber production in India can a strategic and security reason had been realized by the
government
A government is the system or group of people governing an organized community, generally a state.
In the case of its broad associative definition, government normally consists of legislature, executive, and judiciary. Government is a ...
during the
Second World War
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...
period. The rubber growers in India were encouraged to produce the maximum rubber required for the use during war. After the war, there were growing demands from the growers for setting up a permanent organisation to look after the interests of the industry. Thereupon the government set up an ad hoc committee in 1945 to study the situation and to make appropriate recommendation. On the recommendation of this ad hoc committee, the government passed the Rubber (Production and Marketing) Act, 1947, on 18 April 1947, and the
Indian Rubber Board
Indian or Indians may refer to:
Peoples South Asia
* Indian people, people of Indian nationality, or people who have an Indian ancestor
** Non-resident Indian, a citizen of India who has temporarily emigrated to another country
* South Asi ...
was constituted forthwith. The Rubber Production and Marketing (Amendment) Act, 1954, amended the name of the Board as The Rubber Board
Legislative Enactments on Rubber
As noted above, a consideration of the post war natural rubber scenario prompted the Government of India to pass the Rubber (Production and Marketing) Act, 1947 to provide for the overall
promotion
Promotion may refer to:
Marketing
* Promotion (marketing), one of the four marketing mix elements, comprising any type of marketing communication used to inform or persuade target audiences of the relative merits of a product, service, brand or i ...
and development of the sector under its guidance and control. As envisaged in the Act, the Indian Rubber Board was set up as the statutory organization responsible for assisting the government in implementation of the various provisions of the Act. The Act which came into force on 18 April 1947 has since undergone many amendments.
The Rubber production and Marketing (Amendment) Act of 1954 which took effect on 1 August 1954 made some important changes in the constitution of the Board now renamed as The Rubber Board. It clearly defined the role of the Board in the development of the industry and in formulating and implementing necessary research and development programmes. This was followed by notification of the Rubber Rules, 1955 laying down guidelines for the Board to follow in carrying out the purposes of the Act. The Rules have been subjected to need based amendments from time to time.
The Rubber (Amendment) Act of 1960 made certain alterations in the rate and procedure of collection of cess on rubber. The Rubber (Amendment) Act of 1982 provided for the
Central Government
A central government is the government that is a controlling power over a unitary state. Another distinct but sovereign political entity is a federal government, which may have distinct powers at various levels of government, authorized or dele ...
to appoint a part-time or whole time Chairman for the Board and, if necessary, an Executive Director for exercising such powers and performing such duties as may be prescribed or delegated to him by the Chairman. The 1994 Amendment refixed the maximum rate of cess that can be levied on rubber.
Functions
The functions of the Board as defined under the Act are:
# To promote by such measures as it thinks fit the development of the rubber industry.
# Without prejudice to the generality of the foregoing provision the measures referred to therein may provide for:
## undertaking, assisting or encouraging scientific, technological or economic research.
## training students in improved methods of planting, cultivation, manuring and spraying.
## the supply of technical advice to rubber growers
## improving the marketing of rubber.
## the collection of statistics from owners of estates, dealers and manufacturers.
## securing better working conditions and the provision and improvement of amenities and incentives to workers.
## carrying out any other duties which may be vested with the Board as per rules made under this Act.
# It shall also be the duty of the Board:
## to advise the Central Government on all matters relating to the development of the rubber industry, including the import and export of rubber.
## to advise the Central Government with regard to participation in any international conference or scheme relating to rubber.
## to submit to the Central Government and such other authorities as may be prescribed, half yearly reports on its activities and the working of this Act, and
## to prepare and furnish such other reports relating to the rubber industry as may be required by the Central Government from time to time.
Departments and Divisions
There are 9 departments and 4 divisions in the Rubber Board of India.
The nine departments are;
* Rubber Production Department
* Rubber Research Institute of India
* Processing and Product Development Department
* Training Department
* Administration Department
* Finance and Accounts (F&A) Department
* Licensing and Excise Duty Department
* Statistics and Planning Department
*
Market Promotion
In marketing, promotion refers to any type of marketing communication used to inform target audiences of the relative merits of a product, service, brand or issue, most of the time persuasive in nature. It helps marketers to create a distinctive p ...
Department
The four divisions are;
* Publicity and Public Relations Division
* Planning Division
* Vigilance Division
* Internal Audit
Departments and Divisions
Sub Topics
* Rubber Production Department
* Rubber Research Institute of India
** Processing and Product Development Department
** Training Department
*** Administration Department
** Finance and Accounts (F&A) Department
* Licensing and Excise Duty Department
** Statistics Department
** Market Promotion
Divisions
Publicity & Public Relations Division and
Vigilance Division
Rubber Research Institute of India
The Rubber Research Institute of India (RRII) established in 1955 is located on a hillock in the eastern suburb of
Puthuppally,
Kottayam
Kottayam () is a municipal town in the Indian state of Kerala. Flanked by the Western Ghats on the east and the Vembanad Lake and paddy fields of Kuttanad on the west. It is the district headquarters of Kottayam district, located in south-we ...
, eight kilometres from the town. There are nine research disciplines, seven Regional Research Stations, two Hevean Breeding Sub-stations and a Central Experimental Station attached to the RRII. The Institute is headed by the Director (Research).
Major Divisions
# Agricultural Economics
#Agronomy/Soils
#Biotechnology / Genome Analysis
#Botany / Clone Evaluation
#Germplasm
#Latex Harvest
#Plant Pathology
#Plant Physiology
#Rubber Technology
#Technical Consultanc
Rubber Production Department
The Department headed by the Rubber Production Commissioner is responsible for planning, formulation and implementation of schemes for improvement and expansion of rubber cultivation and production. Extension/advisory service, supplies of inputs, demonstration and training for small growers etc. are also undertaken by the RP Department.
There is a well structured field establishment set up under the Rubber Production Department which renders free advisory and extension services to rubber growers on all aspects of rubber cultivation, production, processing and marketing and simultaneously attends to implementation of various development schemes as well. The set up comprises four Zonal Offices, 44 Regional Offices and 191 Field Offices located at all important rubber growing centers.
The Rubber Production Department formulates and implements all schemes relating to cultivation and production, most schemes relating to processing and the schemes for promoting and assisting small holders’ self-help groups.
The development strategy for natural rubber production has to keep in view the following essential requirements:
• Optimisation of production from existing plantations through replanting with improved cultivars and better agro management
• Expansion of cultivation in traditional plantation areas, identification of suitable non-traditional areas that are fit for economic production and extension of cultivation to such areas
• Reduction of cost of production to withstand challenges from competing crops, synthetic substitutes and cheap imports
• Upgradation of quality of produce to meet the increasingly exacting demands of consuming industries
• Formation and effective working of small holders’ self-help groups to ensure informed community participation to create infrastructure to facilitate organised production, processing and marketing chains to gain maximum returns. The approach also takes care of the needs of the resource poor farmers who also got an opportunity not only to derive benefits offered under various schemes but to contribute to the decision making process.
The important development schemes and activities undertaken through the Department are the following:
# Rubber Plantation Development Scheme.
# Production and distribution of improved planting materials.
# Advisory and extension services to growers.
# Demonstration of scientific planting and production.
# Supplies of equipment and materials requiring popularisation.
# Identification of non-traditional areas suitable for rubber and planning and undertaking activities for its promotion in such areas.
# Schemes for productivity enhancement in small holdings
# Schemes for improvement of quality of small holder rubber.
# Schemes for extra income generation form rubber plantations - Apiculture
# Block planting, group planting etc. for promotion of rubber among scheduled caste/scheduled tribe members.
# Promotion of activities of voluntary associations(Rubber Producers' Societies) and self-help groups among small growers.
# Training of tappers.
The central office of the Department functions at the Board's central office in
Kottayam
Kottayam () is a municipal town in the Indian state of Kerala. Flanked by the Western Ghats on the east and the Vembanad Lake and paddy fields of Kuttanad on the west. It is the district headquarters of Kottayam district, located in south-we ...
. The field services are rendered through Zonal/Regional offices and Field Offices. Other establishments are nurseries, demonstration and training centers and tappers training schools.
International cooperation
India
India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...
is maintaining close associations with several international organizations connected with rubber.
The important organizations are: IRSG, ANRPC and IRRDB
*
International Rubber Study Group
International is an adjective (also used as a noun) meaning "between nations".
International may also refer to:
Music Albums
* ''International'' (Kevin Michael album), 2011
* ''International'' (New Order album), 2002
* ''International'' (The T ...
(IRSG)
*
ANRPC
*
IRRDB
References
External links
RUBBER BOARD OF INDIA
{{Authority control
Ministry of Commerce and Industry (India)
Commodity markets in Kerala
Rubber industry