Rubber spreads roots in Gajapati

BERHAMPUR: Gajapati district, once known for its sandalwood forest, is fast becoming a rubber plantation hub. The Rubber Board has taken up largescale plantation in the district both for helping farmers and also to protect the degraded hill slopes of eastern ghats. 

The farmers of Munisingh and Sukei villages in Gumma block have benefited by the plantation. They are being assisted by the Integrated Tribal Development Authority (ITDA), which started the plantation on 15 hectare land in 1999. Now, rubber is cultivated on 106 hectare land in the district. 

PA, ITDA Saroj Kumar Behera said the topography of the region is best suited for rubber cultivation. The first phase of production was started in 2011. A beneficiary of the initiative Budhadev Bhuyan said the future of rubber plantation in the region is bright and it will benefit cultivators in the long run. 

The district administration too has come forward to provide financial support to the cultivators. Behera said the objective of ITDA is to identify farmers interested in rubber cultivation. He said as many as 200 tribals have been trained in tapping latex from rubber trees.