BY TC News Desk
Agartala, 5th July 2025: Around 1.8 lakh rubber farmers in Tripura are facing severe distress due to various unresolved issues, claimed Pabitra Kar, State Secretary of the All India Krishak Sabha (AIKS) today. He said the organisation will launch a series of protest programmes to press for the farmers’ demands.
“No matter how many times the state government claims that farmers’ incomes have doubled, the reality is far from it. The central government itself has never endorsed this claim,” Kar said, alleging that the state leadership is misleading the public regarding the condition of farmers.
Speaking to reporters here, Kar said, “The agricultural system in Tripura is in complete disarray. There is nothing positive to say about it. Farmers across the country, including those in Tripura, are suffering immensely.”
He informed the media that approximately 1.8 lakh rubber farmers had submitted a deputation to the Joint Commissioner of the Tripura Rubber Board with a 10-point charter of demands. The issues raised reflect the deep-rooted problems faced by rubber cultivators in the state, he said.
Among the key demands put forward are the free distribution of saplings for establishing new rubber plantations, a maintenance subsidy of ₹50,000 per hectare, procurement of rubber at the rates fixed by the Rubber Board for the benefit of small and medium farmers, and the reintroduction of rubber plantation insurance.
Additionally, the farmers are demanding subsidised fertilizers through the Rubber Board, free rubber plantation certificates, and a 50% subsidy for poor and medium farmers for purchasing ruler machines and constructing washing houses. They are also seeking the reopening of closed Rubber Producers’ Societies (RPS), training for new tappers and rubber societies to produce high-quality rubber sheets, and greater responsibility by the Rubber Board to expand rubber cultivation in the state.
“The government must come forward to address these issues. Otherwise, the rubber economy in Tripura will collapse, affecting lakhs of livelihoods,” Kar warned.
He concluded by saying that AIKS will announce a series of agitation programmes in the coming days to press for the fulfillment of these demands.
