Jhumia Rehabilitation

Rehabilitation of Jhum Cultivators through Rubber Plantation-Problems and Prospects

Indraneel Bhowmik

2006 ICHR Seminar @ TU,Agartala

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.”



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).



World market: SR- 58%, NR-42%.

India: NR- 78%, SR-22%.

Natural Rubber- Hevea Brasilliensis.

Nodal Agency- Rubber Board, Kottayam(hq).



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



Traditional areas

Kerala-

Kanyakumari district of Tamil Nadu

Non- Traditional Areas

North Eastern States

Tripura

Assam

Karnataka

Goa

Orissa



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


1854810291483014418268842002-03

176059611299913529260452001-02

15916907998011000247932000-01

14866787936011895238471999-00

13146785894611395225781998-99

11454778892611467208231997-98

9507810851810516192001996-97

779380072589074178851995-96

597681163117782162331994-95

483079455456982151591993-94

420777940305172143051992-93

FarmsYieldProdnTappableArea(ha)Year



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



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



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



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.



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



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%



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



Outsiders as plantation owners

Possibility of land owners turning out to be tappers?

Fears of ethnic clashes???



Thank You

Jhumia Rehabilitation

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