Tripura Chief Minister Biplab Kumar Deb on Wednesday introduced a high yielding hybrid clone of rubber sapling 'RRII 429' to augment the commercial cultivation of natural rubber in the northeast state.
The hybrid clone of rubber sapling is cold and disease resistant and will help the rubber growers of the state to increase their income, Deb said.
The chief minister said, "Tripura is the second largest rubber growing state in the country after Kerala. Our government is giving much importance in augmentation of rubber production. We want to produce more rubber which is of good quality."
Deb said many items are now exported to foreign countries, including neighbouring Bangladesh, but we get maximum profit from rubber.
"About Rs 1,400 crore is earned from rubber export and this new clone will help increase rubber production and boost the states economy," he said.
Rubber Board Chairman Sawar Dhanania and Executive Director KN Raghavan were present during introduction of the hybrid clone of rubber sapling.
Dhanania said this clone can produce more than 1,500 kg per hectare per year compared to the output from RRIM 600 clone which yields 1,200 kg per hectare per year.
After 23-years of multi-locational field trials in Assam, Meghalaya and Tripura, the Rubber Board has evolved the new cold and disease tolerant hybrid rubber clone RRII 429 to expand the ongoing natural rubber cultivation in the North- eastern states and increase production and productivity, he added.
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