Need for planting proper rubber clones

The type of rubber clones cultivated determines to a great extent the productivity of the rubber sector. High yielding clones such as RRIC100, RRIC121, RRIC102 etc. are recommended by Rubber Research Institute (RRI) for planting to increase the productivity. According to published data by the RRI, the average yields of clones cultivated in Sri Lanka are indicated below.

According to Dr. L.M.K Tilakaratna, former Director of RRI writing to THE ISLAND of 26th Oct. on “Rubber industry in Sri Lanka” a policy decision was taken by the Ministry of Plantation Industries (MPI) in 1995 to eliminate the low – yielding clone PB 86 from rubber plantations and bud wood nurseries which was controlled by the Rubber Development Department ( RDD ).

According to an RDD survey in the year 2010, 43.1% (Table1) of rubber clones cultivated in Sri Lanka were PB 86. Another survey carried out by the RRI countrywide in 2012, revealed that 29% of existing clones were PB 86 cultivated in rubber plantations. However, this factor signifies that RPCs, RDD and private sector nursery owners have not strictly adhered to the basket of specific clones advocated by the RRI. This also indicates that neither the RPCC nor the RDD has followed the ruling given by the Ministry of Plantation Industries (MPI) to eliminate this low yielder from rubber plantations. As the RDD is involved in monitoring production of quality planting material for the smallholders, it is difficult to understand why this organization has issued a banned clone PB 86 to the field in the past years. It implies that RDD has not properly monitored the clones available in their nurseries and as well as in the private commercial nurseries.

Both RDD and private commercial nurseries are primarily responsible for the issue of plants to the smallholders and they are duty bound to issue plants in keeping with the RRI recommendations. For recommending the authentic planting material, rubber nurseries are regularly inspected by authoritative officers of the Rubber Research Institute (RRI) with the relevant officers of the RDD. Having inspected these private nurseries by the RRI and RDD officers, they quantitatively allocate plants to be issued from these RDD and private commercial nurseries. Beyond this allocation, private nurseries are not authorised to issue plants. It is abundantly clear that this requirement has not been complied with. It implies that RDD has not properly monitored the clones in their nurseries and especially in private commercial nurseries. RDD appear to have not followed recommendations of RRI, perhaps due to their incompatible co-ordination between these two Institutions. It needs to be pointed out that one is a scientific agricultural organization (RRI) and the other one (RDD) is a bureaucratic administrative organisation. This may be one of the major drawbacks in improving and managing the rubber sector.

As per Statistical Data of the Ministry of Plantation Industries (MPI), out of the 130,349 ha under rubber, 89,246 ha are in the small holder (SH) rubber sector and 41,103 ha are in the estate sector. Thus SH play an important role in the rubber sector of Sri Lanka. According to an article by Dr. C.S. Weeraratna (ISLAND – 29th Oct.), former Director of the Advisory Services Department of the Rubber Research Board, the productivity (kg/ha) of the rubber sector has decreased substantially, which may be attributed to planting low-yielding clones such as PB 86 (43.1)% in addition to other institutional factors and poor management practices of extension.

The MPI’s publication titled “Statistical information on plantation crops” is very useful in that it provides valuable data on the plantations sector which are used specially in national budget preparation and other policy making activities related to the development programs of the country. However, in this MPI publication of 2017, the clonal composition (Table 1) of smallholding sector and rubber extent related to RDD data of 2010 survey is stale not of much use for current development planning. The clonal composition of 2010 data has been given in the MPI statistical information book of 2015 and again the same has been published by the MPI in 2017. What is the purpose of publishing outdated data twice in this manner? This may be because MPI is not paying much attention to the data preparation and is not interested in updating relevant rubber statistics to fulfil the current requirement of the stake holders in rubber/plantation sector.

Also, Table 1 shows that 5.1% of non-budded clonal rubber have been planted in smallholdings. However, this clone was also removed from the recommended clone list of the RRI before 1955, due to its unpredictable agronomical characteristics compared to other clones of budded rubber.

In view of the importance of rubber as an export crop, it is necessary that the authorities, mainly the MPI should take appropriate action to improve this sector or a divine intervention is needed to save rubber industry as highlighted in the article titled “A divine intervention needed to save rubber industry” by J. A. A. S. Ranasinghe Productivity Specialist/Management Consultant in The Island of 2 Nov. 2020. According to him, maintaining a proper clone balance in rubber plantations is extremely important. In this regard RDD (bureaucratic administrative organization) officers and RRI (scientific agricultural organization) officers should be actively involved and properly supervised by the authorities. This is the challenge.

Dhamsiri Dasanayka,

Ex -Advisory Officer, Rubber

Research Board