The Rubber Board will use technological tools such as satellite mapping to make the collection of field statistics easier, not only for the data collecting officials but also for growers, said Sheela Thomas, Chairman, Rubber Board.
She was at the launch of the Certification of Rubber Plantations at Kanjirappally. She said the certification programme was introduced in response to the demand from growers. James Jacob, Director, Rubber Research Institute of India pointed out that by mapping using global positioning coordinates, the location of the plantations could be traced out any time. These data could be used for creating satellite mapping of plantations in any selected geographical area.
The certification is voluntary and initially given for a period of twenty years. Those who need to get their plantations certified will have to pay: ₹57(up to 0.50 ha), ₹113.00 (0.51 ha to 1.00 ha), ₹281.00 (1.01 ha to 10 ha) and ₹562.00 (above 10 ha) including service tax.