Rubber planted in Yercaud as an alternative crop for the first time

Rubber planted in Yercaud as an alternative crop for the first time

Scientists of the Horticultural Research Station of Tamil Nadu Agricultural University in Yercaud planted 500 rubber plants for the first time as part of a feasibility study.

Yercuad is mostly covered by coffee estates. The Horticulture Research Station in Yercaud is taking efforts to introduce suitable plantations and tree crops to increase the revenue and improve the livelihood of the tribal farmers in the hill station. As a new step, they introduced the rubber plant for the first time as part of the feasible study in collaboration with the Rubber Research Institute of India (RRII) in Kottayam, Kerala. On Tuesday (October 22), Principal Scientist of RRII Mohammed Sadhik and officials planted 500 rubber plants on the premises of the Horticultural Research Station.

Malathi, associate professor and Head of the Horticultural Research Station, said that as part of the feasibility study, five places, including Yercaud, were selected in Tamil Nadu to plant rubber. As the maintenance cost for the rubber cultivation was less, these farmers shall get a good profit. Except for two or three months, Yercaud received rain or was covered by mist. After six or seven years for one acre of land, a farmer would be able to get ₹1 lakh as profit through the rubber plants. As intercrop, millets or vegetables might be cultivated, which gave additional profit to farmers, Ms. Malathi added.