Correspondent
RUKSIN, Feb 28: The Guwahati zonal office of the Rubber Board of India (RBoI) imparted entrepreneurship development training to rubber growers here in East Siang district recently, in collaboration with the National Institute of Agricultural Marketing.
Forty rubber growers from Ruksin and Nari, and from Jonai in Assam, took part in the programme, during which the Guwahati RBoI’s Deputy Rubber Production Commissioner, Shesil Bharty, spoke about marketing network for rubber production, and said the central government has taken steps to commercialize rubber.
Pasighat Agriculture Development Officer N Nonang said the foothills and plain lands of Arunachal Pradesh and nearby areas of Assam are feasible for rubber cultivation.
“Rubber cultivation is making rapid strides in the region, bringing hope among the commercial horticulturists,” he said.
The resource persons made PowerPoint presentations on the methods of rubber-tapping and latex collection, and on processing techniques such as dilution with chemical substances, pressing, and drying of rubber sheets.
About 2000 hectares of land in East Siang, Lower Siang and parts of Lower Dibang Valley districts, besides the plain areas bordering Dhemaji (Assam), have been brought under rubber cultivation.
Earlier, too, the RBoI conducted training and field demonstration programmes on rubber-tapping, latex processing, garden management, etc, in different parts of the district.
