Rubber Cultivation in Kerala

Rubber is one of the prominent perennial crops in Kerala, and it is a main source of income for many farmers. It accounts to eighty-five percent of the country’s total natural rubber production. In spite of the fact that it is the backbone of Kerala economy, the rubber cultivators are still facing precarious problems owing to various reasons, viz, volatility of price, low production, shortage of labor and other techno-economic factors. However, much attempt has not been made by researchers to pursue these issues. The present study is an attempt to understand the issues and problems of rubber cultivators on the one hand and to fill the lacuna, if any, in research. A modest attempt is made to study specifically the problems of rubber cultivators in one of the remotest part of Kerala, Nilambur. The study tries to understand the plethora of problems of rubber economy in Kerala.