000			03365nam a2200181Ia 4500
008			220216s9999 xx 000 0 und d
100			_aMajumdar Arunabha
245		0	_aSkill-level, demography and social status of rubber tappers and their impact on sustainability of NR plantation sector in Tripura
260			_bPLACROSYM XXII. 22nd Biennial Symposium on Plantation Crops: Leveraging Innovation System in Plantation Sector Through Value Addition, 15-17 December 2016, Indian Council of Agricultural Research-Central Plantation Crops Research Institute, Kasaragod, India. Abstracts. pp. 288-289.
520			_aHarvesting (tapping) of Natural Rubber (NR) involves skill, dedication and commitment of tapper who play a significant role in the productivity/production of the crop, economic life span of the trees and ultimately, the sustainability of NR plantation industry of one region. The lower productivity than the national average and poor quality standards of produce in North East (NE) region are primarily due to the substandard harvesting which has a direct bearing on the profile of tappers and thus it reflects negatively on the economic development potential of this crop. Data collected during the period between August 2015 and July 2016 from paid tappers confining to the smallholding sector by semi-structured interviews, based on a pre-designed questionnaire by selecting tappers from all of the eight districts of the state following a stratified random sampling method. The socio-economic profile together with the skill level of rubber tappers in Tripura is subjected to a critical analysis in this study. Tappers are with average age 28 years, of whom 81;fall under socially backward classes in the ratio men:women = 69:31, and their education level mostly up to pre-matric (85;); almost all possess own dwelling facilities and above 69;earn between Rs. 3000 to Rs. 5000 per month. But only about 50;of the tappers have undergone scientific training. They generally prefer to work near to their locality and above 60;follow single owner dependency with a tapping task of 200-300 trees per day, do tapping & processing into sheet rubber and 71;of them have daily employment. Tripura, being the second NR producing state in India and the NR plantation hub in the Northeast India, the inference from this study is envisaged to contribute critical inputs to policy makers so as to formulate strategies for a sustainable NR regime, especially for the NE region in India. Present study reveals that tappers, who hail from unprevileged sectors of the society, are financially poor and far behind in education and exposure level, especially in terms of professional skill. Skill deficiency or the skill gap is the determining factor for low yield, poor plant health, deprived wages, less satisfaction and the unhealthy owner-tapper relationship which tempt the unemployed youths venturing into this potential job opportunity. Skill development initiatives and exposure avenues for tappers together with awareness programs on labour relations for the plantations owb=ners need prioritized implementation for sustainable development of NR plantation industry.
650			_aNR plantation sector
650			_aRubber tappers
650			_aSkill development
650			_aTripura
700			_aAnitha Devi L
700			_aRajeevan B
942			_cJS
999			_c68751 _d68751