Nagaland Rubber Board conducts outreach meeting to promote tapping

Rubber Board Regional Office Dimapur conducted a series of outreach meetings on November 12 bringing all untapped areas at Sanis, Wokha district, focusing on the theme of bringing untapped areas under rubber tapping.
The programme began with a prayer led by the pastor of Sanis Village Baptist Church, Nchumbemo Kithan, followed by a welcome address from Kuruvilla Cherian, Regional Officer, Rubber Board Dimapur, who introduced the theme and encouraged growers to share feedback and concerns.
Joint Rubber Production Commissioner, Rubber Board Zonal Office Guwahati, P.K. Ramachandran, emphasized the national importance of expanding tapping to reduce dependence on imports. He urged growers to adopt rain guarding and improve quality, assuring full support from the Rubber Board.
Pasenjit, Project Director, ATMA, highlighted that while Tripura and Assam have achieved near-complete tapping, Nagaland still lags behind. He announced a training module under the INROAD scheme to support processing and quality improvement through sheeting rollers and smoke houses.
District Project Officer, Department of Land and Resources, Wokha, Puthoto Natso, informed that field data collection is underway to assess untapped areas. Hukavi, personal secretary and advisor, Land Resources, stated that the government is prioritizing rubber and sought further project support from the Ministry of Commerce and Industry.
Mesakh Achumi, CEO, Naga Natural Rubber, shared that 120 tappers have been trained and encouraged self-tapping over leasing systems. He informed that the company was planning to expand its operations to other rubber growing districts in the state.
Rubber growers raised concerns about poor road connectivity to plantations and lack of processing equipment like sheeting rollers. The meeting concluded with a vote of thanks by Amar Boro,asst Development Officer, Rubber Board Regional Office Dimapur. Around 100 rubber farmers actively participated in the meeting.