MSc

The study “Marketing of rubber by small growers in Nedumangad taluk” revealed that a major portion of the sheet rubber produced by the small holders is of inferior quality. It is a fact of differential pricing based on quality of sheets is not in vogue in the locality where the study was conducted . For the production of better quality grades , the existing facilities for processing as well as infrastructure should be further developed.With regard to the system of tapping adopted , it was observed that majority of the growers adopted daily tapping and not bothered about the ill effects due to daily extraction . Albeit, the beneficial effects of scientific processing of sheet rubber is well established , it is paradoxical to note that majority of the farmers are not aware/following scientific aspects of processing like use of correct concentration of acid , sodium bi sulphate, paranitrophenol, sieving, smoking etc. for the production of sheet. The reason for this anomaly is clearly understood that there is no marked variation in prices of quality and ungraded sheet rubber. However, an interesting factor to be noted in this aspect is that the difference between the farmgate price and terminal market price is negligible as the producers received more than 80 percent of the price paid by the consumer

It was also found that planters are opportunistic in the sense, very often they switch over from sheet rubber production to sale of latex as such and vice versa depending up on the prevailing market conditions. Regarding the mode of disposal, periodicity and marketing certain peculiarities were revealed during the study. The frequency of sales varied from monthly to yearly. In the case of small holders(up to 1.00 ha ) majority of them have sold their crop monthly because they were in need of money frequently ; and farmers who are financially sound resort to year wise sales for their seasonal capital expenditure . It was a general trend that the farmers who are having estates far away from residences sold their produce as latex.
It was also revealed that the common farmers are unaware of the technique of calculating DRC which led to the deception of the farmers by the dealers causing heavy loss to the growers. It was also found that the primary dealers sell their produce to the secondary dealers as lot of rubber and secondary dealers sort out the lot rubber in to different grades gaining much profit out of it .
As a remedial measures for improving the quality of processed rubber, long term policies should be taken to start central processing factories to produce quality rubber sheets or technically specified form of crumb/block rubber from latex collected from small rubber growers. The dealers chain can therefore be by passed and the financial benefit of small holders increased . It is a suggestion that the long term measures can be undertaken by the present Rubber producers Societies scattered throughout the taluk. The latex/scrap collected by the RPS’s can be processed into technically specified form of quality rubber or block rubber, as the case may be , in the factory owned by the apex society/ company of the Rubber Producers Societies.
The Rubber Board has drawn up a scheme for assisting RPS’ s to set up smoke house . These smoke house will procure latex from the member growers, process it in to higher grades of sheet rubber and sell it in bulk to secure maximum prices . The Rubber Board provides all help and assistance in these efforts . The main trust is in strengthening of RPS’s. The Board operate a scheme for giving subsidy for the construction of smoke houses.
The RPS at the grassroot level is the foundation on which this view marketing set-up is being built. Its success, therefore, depends on the active participation , patronage and involvement of the R P S’s . If this is successfully accomplished, no doubt it will usher in an era of prosperity to the small farmers.