ISBN: - 978-93-88936-09-5 1963-64 69874 1964-65 70917 1965-66 75026 1966-67 81015 1967-68 91802 1968-69 98344 1969-70 105112 1970-71 108917 144208 146151 154878 161074 169650 174734 182528 187762 856 896 1073 1249 1487 1626 2206 2463 6804 7223 7823 8082 8352 9248 9846 10015 36 36 36 66 89 112 145 188 1755 1755 1755 1844 3160 3102 3740 4708 Source: Asian Rubber Handbook and Directory 2005 The above table shows that Kerala alone contributes 89 per cent of the total rubber produced in India and an area of 187762 ha in 1970-71 under rubber plantations. Tamilnadu contributes second position of the total NR production. During the period, from 1955-56 to 1970-71, rubber cultivation in India has been traditionally increased both number of units and area. 1.9. RUBBER GROWING IN INDIA Rubber cultivation in India has traditionally been confined to a narrow belt extending from Kanyakumari district of Tamil Nadu in the South to Dakshin Kannada and Kodagu districts of Karnataka in the north and lying general west of the Western Ghats. Later it was extended to non-traditional regions including North East India, Goa, Konkan region of Maharashtra, parts of Odissha, Andhra Pradesh, and West Bengal, where rubber is now being grown. In recent years among non-traditional regions, Tripura has become one of the most thrust areas for Rubber growing because of its good reception worldwide. In fact, Tripura was declared the “Second Rubber Capital of India” by the Rubber Board. India has succeeded in rubber cultivation due to research and extension work undertaken by the Rubber Board. The worldwide demand for NR from Tripura is mainly because of its elasticity. The NorthEastern region contributes up to 5 per cent of the total population, while Karnataka contributes 3 per cent. An area of 113685 ha is covered by rubber plantations in the northeastern region. 1.10MANURING The majority of our rubber growing soils belong to the laterite and lateritic types with only little variations in the inherent fertility status. Hence the following general manorial recommendations are given for rubber of different age groups growing in typical lateritic soils. The fertilizer requirements of rubber vary considerably during the three important stages of growth, namely, nursery, immature and mature. 1.11. SEASONAL PATTERNS IN PRODUCTION 23
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