jhumia rehabilitation
TRANSCRIPT
Rehabilitation of Jhum Cultivators through Rubber Plantation-Problems and Prospects
Indraneel Bhowmik
2006 ICHR Seminar @ TU,Agartala
Rehabilitation of Jhum Cultivators through Rubber Plantation
“Shifting cultivation is the custom of cultivating clearings scattered in the reservoir of natural vegetation(forest or grass-woodland) and of abandoning them as soon as the soil is exhausted; And this includes the custom of shifting the homesteads in order to follow the cultivator’s search for new fertile land.”
2006 ICHR Seminar @ TU,Agartala
Rehabilitation of Jhum Cultivators through Rubber Plantation
Rubber- raw material for 50,000 articles.
Products- aeroplane tyres, tubes, hose pipes, shoes, latex goods, erasers, rubber bands, etc.
Two types- Synthetic (petrochemical feeds); Natural (latex from rubber tree).
2006 ICHR Seminar @ TU,Agartala
Rehabilitation of Jhum Cultivators through Rubber Plantation
World market: SR- 58%, NR-42%.
India: NR- 78%, SR-22%.
Natural Rubber- Hevea Brasilliensis.
Nodal Agency- Rubber Board, Kottayam(hq).
2006 ICHR Seminar @ TU,Agartala
Rehabilitation of Jhum Cultivators through Rubber Plantation
Rubber plantations – gestation period 7 years
Economic life- 28-30 years
Employment potential- one man per hectare
Earning potential- Rs. 7000.00 to 10000.00 per ha per month
2006 ICHR Seminar @ TU,Agartala
Rehabilitation of Jhum Cultivators through Rubber Plantation
Traditional areas
Kerala-
Kanyakumari district of Tamil Nadu
Non- Traditional Areas
North Eastern States
Tripura
Assam
Karnataka
Goa
Orissa
2006 ICHR Seminar @ TU,Agartala
Rehabilitation of Jhum Cultivators through Rubber Plantation
Events in Tripura
1963- Forest Department, Manu and Patichhari
1969- Rubber Board office at Agartala
1976-TFDPC
1983-TRPC
1992-World Bank Project
2005- Rubber Mission
2006 ICHR Seminar @ TU,Agartala
1854810291483014418268842002-03
176059611299913529260452001-02
15916907998011000247932000-01
14866787936011895238471999-00
13146785894611395225781998-99
11454778892611467208231997-98
9507810851810516192001996-97
779380072589074178851995-96
597681163117782162331994-95
483079455456982151591993-94
420777940305172143051992-93
FarmsYieldProdnTappableArea(ha)Year
2006 ICHR Seminar @ TU,Agartala
Rehabilitation of Jhum Cultivators through Rubber Plantation
Yield is much below the national average- 1584kgs/ha
Average size of the plot: Tripura-1.43ha, India-0.57ha
Growth rate of area in Tripura is much higher than the national average
National Bureau of Soil Survey-100000ha in Tripura is suitable
2006 ICHR Seminar @ TU,Agartala
Rehabilitation of Jhum Cultivators through Rubber Plantation
Resettlement of Jhum cultivators
Top priority of the government-
Agencies-
Tribal Welfare Department- financial assistance, organisational help
Rubber Board- technical and financial assistance
TFDPC- implementation and marketing
TRPC- implementation and management
2006 ICHR Seminar @ TU,Agartala
Rehabilitation of Jhum Cultivators through Rubber Plantation
Block plantation scheme
45 plantation centres- all over the state
2760 ha
2451 beneficiaries
Rubber Producers Societies
1st RPS in North East- Tripureshwari RPS at Mirza, Kakraban Block, South Tripura
2006 ICHR Seminar @ TU,Agartala
Rehabilitation of Jhum Cultivators through Rubber Plantation
Jhum Cultivation has decreased.
223 sq.kms under jhum.
Minimum area under shifting cultivation one time or other- 1115 sq.kms.
Natural Regeneration in shifting cultivation in Tripura in 1997 as compared to 1995- 4 sq.kms.
2006 ICHR Seminar @ TU,Agartala
Rehabilitation of Jhum Cultivators through Rubber Plantation
Not profitable
Lack of land
Younger generation not interested in jhum
Elders misses Jhum, feels it to be part of their culture, lifestyle
Not bothered with environmental issues
2006 ICHR Seminar @ TU,Agartala
Rehabilitation of Jhum Cultivators through Rubber Plantation
Rubber Extremely Profitable
Prices of RSS increased almost threefold in the last three years
Average annual growth rate (1999-2005) of farm gate price in South Tripura District- 11.79%
2006 ICHR Seminar @ TU,Agartala
Rehabilitation of Jhum Cultivators through Rubber Plantation
Craze for tilla land by well off tribals and non-tribals
Large scale leasing of land
Illegal occupation of forest land
Increase in land price
2006 ICHR Seminar @ TU,Agartala
Rehabilitation of Jhum Cultivators through Rubber Plantation
Outsiders as plantation owners
Possibility of land owners turning out to be tappers?
Fears of ethnic clashes???
2006 ICHR Seminar @ TU,Agartala
Rehabilitation of Jhum Cultivators through Rubber Plantation
Thank You