Home ›› 12 Sep 2022 ›› Editorial
As there are no rubber processing factories in the vicinity of Alamgir Ali’s rubber plantation, most of the time the rubber sap or latex gets wasted. He said, “The latex of other rubber farmers like me also gets wasted most of the time. A factory near our rubber plantations would be of great benefit to us. Also we cannot do tapping properly. We do not have good equipment and we need training on this. I have told the Rubber Board officials about the problems.”
They said that they do not have enough personnel. But the Rubber Board is trying to figure out how to produce rubber more effectively and in a more profitable manner. This requires everyone’s cooperation.
Rubber is a valuable and profitable resource. It is produced from the sap or latex of the rubber tree. Even though the history of rubber cultivation in Bangladesh stretches back a long way, the practice has not yet become widespread. During the British era, rubber cultivation in this country began.
However it gained bit of a momentum in the 1950s. According to Bangladesh Rubber Board sources, at around 1952, the then government brought rubber tree seeds and saplings from Malaysia and Ceylone (Sri Lanka) and experimentally planted them in the Chittagong and Madhupur forests.
Then the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) of the United Nations examined the feasibility of rubber cultivation in this country in 1959. They say that the soil and climate of this country are very suitable for rubber cultivation and that the country will benefit a lot if rubber is cultivated here commercially. A pilot project for rubber cultivation was started in 1961 on 287 acres of land under the auspices of FAO.
Rubber was cultivated across 30 acres in Ramu of Cox’s Bazar, 10 acres in Raujan of Chittagong, and other places in Sylhet and Chittagong. In 1962, the scheme was extended to five years, with rubber being planted on 1214 hectares of land, which was then handed over to the Forest Department Development Corporation. In 1965, the government took up another five-year project to cultivate rubber on 4,250 hectares of land. Some projects were also taken up in the 1970s and 1980s. In this way, the acreage of land for rubber cultivation gradually increased.
The biggest advantage of rubber is that it can be cultivated in barren land. Rubber can be cultivated easily in all the lands which normally do not produce grain crops and other crops. The government selected some such land and started rubber cultivation. When it was seen that rubber was easily produced in those lands, the government turned its attention to high-yielding rubber cultivation. For this, Prim 600 and PB 235 clones were brought from Malaysia and planted. Each of these clones produce three kilogrammes of rubber per year. After that, there was not much work on rubber cultivation for several years.
In 2013 an attempt was made to recover the lost rubber by forming a rubber board. At that time Rubber Board was associated with Forest Industries Development Corporation. Later in 2019 the Rubber Board was separated from forestry department. Bangladesh got membership of ‘International Rubber Research and Development Board’ which will hopefully provide a fillip to the sector.
In Bangladesh, Chittagong, Sylhet, Mymensingh, Madhupur, Sherpur, Khagrachari, Bandarban, Rangamati, and Cox’s Bazar have rubber platations. There are 1304 private and 29 government platations across the country. Besides, there are various community gardens and private gardens. In total, 67,939 metric tonnes of latex are currently produced on 1,40,000 hectares of land.
Rubber is known as “white gold”. Rubber trees not only produce rubber but also protect the environment by maintaining the natural balance. This tree absorbs more carbon dioxide than most other trees. According to the study, every hectare of rubber plantations (which has 415 rubber trees) absorbs 39.02 tonnes of carbon from the atmosphere, which helps protecting the environment. Cultivation of rubber up to the lower part of the 35-degree slope helps prevent erosion. Poultry and goats can be farmed on rubber plantations. Besides lemon, turmeric, cashew nuts, oranges, etc., can also be cultivated.
There are many problems when it comes to rubber production in Bangladesh. Since its inception, the government has leased thousands of acres of land to farmers for rubber cultivation. Many have left those lands without cultivating rubber. Some are cultivating other crops on that land. Besides, the Rubber Board is complaining that many cultivators are not following the rules and guidelines given by the board.
There are rules for planting rubber trees. For example, the trees should be planted in rows or at a fixed distance. Most farmers don’t get the desired results because they don’t follow this rule. In the 1980s, the government leased some hilly land for rubber cultivation. It was said that leaseholders would construct a road for work. In reality, no one actually did. Rather, they have made dirt roads. This leads to land erosion and reduced rubber production.
As a result, the roads cannot be used properly, and for some other reasons, there are problems with work and there is not proper yield. Many gardens are located in remote areas. Getting to all those places is not easy, and it is also dangerous. Road conditions worsen during the monsoons.
There are usually weeds in the garden. A skilled tapper is required to clean them. Our country does not have permanent and competent tappers. There is no arrangement for tappers to be trained. There is no modern machinery for rubber tree maintenance and related work. As a result, production is reduced.
Fertilizer should be applied twice a year according to the rules. But no one obeys those rules and procedures.
Small farmers are unable to collect latex and supply it to the factory as there are no factories near the rubber plantations. As a result, on the way to the distant factory with latex, it bursts and that latex is of no use.
Besides, rubber farmers are victims of extortion. During the transportation of rubber sheets, a fee is demanded from the cultivators on the way. There are also various types of harassment by the forest department. For all these reasons, many farmers are losing interest in rubber cultivation. Also, due to the high wages of the day labourers, many times the farmers do not get the price according to the production.
Generally, rubber plantations do not have defined boundaries. As a result, some unscrupulous people occupy the borders of rubber plantations. There are complaints that rubber farmers do not get loans easily. As the Rubber Board is new, it has not yet set up its own lab and has not appointed researchers, trainers, and experts. Board staff have to work under many difficulties as they do not have their own office building, training centre, and regional offices.
The VAT on manufactured rubber is 15 per cent and with other taxes it becomes 25 per cent. On the other hand, the tax on imported rubber goods is 5 per cent. As a result, the price of domestic rubber is reduced. The tax is 5-15 per cent on the export of rubber products and a 1 per cent tax on imported rubber products.
Rubber is produced throughout the year. However, the majority of the rubber is produced between October and January. Delicious honey can be produced from the leaves and buds of the rubber tree. It also has medicinal properties. Rubber trees grow fast. An acre of rubber plantation requires at least ten workers. Both men and women can work in the rubber plantations in the plains and hills. Rubber plantations are playing an important role in employment generation and socio-economic development.
The life span of a rubber tree is generally 30–32 years. Then wood from this tree can be used for making furniture and houses. Each rubber tree yields 5-8 cubic feet of round wood.
Worldwide, the use of rubber products is huge and increasing day by day. One lakh twenty thousand products have rubber as their basic ingredient. The widely used items are car tires, shoes, bottles, pencil erasers, foam, resin, gum, toys, industrial products, medical products, etc. Research has shown that the demand for rubber has increased by 3 per cent every year.
Malaysia, Asia’s largest producer of rubber, has recently seen a decline in rubber production due to labour shortages and rising labour costs. This opportunity can be utilised by Bangladesh. Besides, the Rubber Development Board of Malaysia has expressed interest in investing in the rubber sector in cooperation with the Rubber Development Board of Bangladesh. This has created a huge potential for rubber production in the country.
If the government declares rubber as an agricultural commodity, the farmers will get loans easily and they will be able to invest heavily in this sector. If the factory is set up near a few small gardens, the latex can be easily utilised. Small traders and factory owners will benefit from this.
Rubber plantations are illegally occupied by unscrupulous elements due to lack of proper demarcation. Sometimes illegal occupiers are evicted, but they reoccupy it. That is why it is important to determine the territory boundaries. Rubber Board needs to set up its own lab, regional office, and training center. If there are researchers, trainers, and experts, research on rubber production will add something new to the sector. So, recruitment of the necessary manpower and accommodation for them is required. Rubber farmers need to be trained and skilled tappers need to be developed. Rubber tree maintenance requires modern machinery. VAT and tax on rubber should be reduced.
The Rubber Board Act 2010 needs to be updated according to the rules and regulations of the Rubber Board, which can be used for the expansion and development of natural rubber cultivation.
Since now there is an independent Rubber Board, solving these issues is not that difficult. In this case, the government’s approval and funds are needed. Labour is very cheap in Bangladesh and the international market for rubber is very large. If we try, we can not only meet the needs of the country but also export rubber abroad. We even have enough land for rubber cultivation. So it is possible to tap into this potential.
The writer is a freelance columnist. She can be contacted at [email protected]
