'NE to be hub for rubber cultivation'
The northeast will soon be converted into a hub for cultivating rubber, a commodity for which the region has tremendous potential, Union Minister of State for Commerce Jairam Ramesh said on Friday.
By PTI |
GUWAHATI: The northeast will soon be converted into a hub for cultivating rubber, a commodity for which the region has tremendous potential, Union Minister of State for Commerce Jairam Ramesh said on Friday.
A task force has been formed with members from the North Eastern Council (NEC), the apex planning body for the region, the department for the Ddevelopment of northeast and the Rubber Board, to frame an action plan for this by April eight, Ramesh told reporters here.
This decision was taken at a sectoral meet and special meeting of the NEC here that was also attended by Union ministers.
Stating that there would be palpable results within the next seven to ten years, Ramesh regretted that only 13 per cent of the region's potential for growing rubber was currently exploited. The region could grow rubber on 450,000 hectares, but only 58,000 hectares are under cultivation.
Assam, Ramesh said, had tremendous potential for rubber plantation as it had 100,000 hectares of eligible land but only 30,000 hectares is currently under cultivation.
ADVERTISEMENT
DONER Minister Mani Shankar Aiyar said apart from rubber, three other commodities that could be grown in the region were identified at today's meeting. They are tea, spices and coffee, all of which had tremendous growth potential.Too busy to trade in stocks? Invest in Mutual Funds with ET Money!
Bookmark or read stories offline -
Download ET Markets APP
Download ET Markets APP
ADVERTISEMENT
