ISBN: - 978-93-88936-09-5 CHAPTER - III NATURAL RUBBER PRODUCTION AND CONSUMPTION 3.1 INTRODUCTION Natural Rubber is obtained from the milky white fluid called latex, found in many plants. NR is nature’s most versatile vegetable product. It is the only natural material that is truly elastic, a property that allows it to be soft yet tough. Rubber gently but firmly holds everything together and absorbs humps and shocks’ to make our lives so much more comfortable. This special property has made rubber virtually indispensable and products made from rubber, now number in tens of thousands. NR is a stretchy, flexible and waterproof, hydrocarbon polymer which is derived from latex and drawn by incising into the bark of the rubber tree. It is refined into the usable rubber. The British planters introduced the commercial cultivation of NR. Rubber is a vital product in the life of every human being in the contemporary era. It supports the life of the mass through its diverse benefits. This material has multifarious uses and there are hardly any segments of society, which do not use rubber and based products. In our daily life, we are always involved with products made of rubber. The use of rubber products has made the life human beings in the modern age more comfortable. Right from the simple eraser to the wheels of the vehicles of all size, airplanes, and space shuttle, use of rubber is made in one form of other. From everyday articles such as rubber bands and shoes to mattresses, tyres and windshield wipers, rubber is so much a part of our lives that we take it for granted and assume that rubber has been with us for a very long life. India is one of largest producers of the plantation crops in the world because India is blessed with a rich and diverse agro climatic profile. Among the plantation crops in India, tea, coffee, and rubber have greater importance. Rubber plantation is a creation of human ingenuity and physical labour by applying agricultural practices. It exerts a profound influence on the economic and social life of the people. It provides employment to more than 4 lakh persons directly and a large number of persons in the various related activities indirectly and plays a critical role in the development of rural and hilly areas and under developed remote regions in the country. The term rubber plantation refers to all the individuals and organizations engaged in 60
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