Expansion of area under rubber plantation and its distribution in Tripura, India

Abstract

Rubber plantation was introduced in the state of Tripura in 1963. This state is emerging as an important producer of natural rubber in India, second only to Kerala. This research attempts to assess the role of rubber plantation as a policy intervention by the state to usher in the development of the marginalised population of Tripura. It examines the expansion of the area under rubber plantation and its present distribution pattern in the state. In doing so, it attempts to discuss and analyse the factors responsible for such expansion, distribution and identification of the core areas of concentration of rubber plantation through the use of secondary data, which has been analysed using concentration index.