Loading...
REGIONAL DIMENSIONS OF EMERGING LABOUR SHORTAGE IN RUBBER PLANTATION SECTOR IN KERALA: AN EXPLORATORY ANALYSIS
The unparalleled dynamism cast by the expansion of rubber in Kerala spearheaded by the smallholder sector has become severely challenged especially since the late 1990s in view of the emergent labour shortage, characterized by the paucity of skilled rubber tappers in both the smallholding as well as...
| Main Author: | |
|---|---|
| Format: | Printed Book |
| Published: |
Thiruvananthapuram
Centre for Development Studies
2013
|
| Online Access: | http://10.26.1.76/ks/007267.pdf |
| Summary: | The unparalleled dynamism cast by the expansion of rubber in
Kerala spearheaded by the smallholder sector has become severely challenged especially since the late 1990s in view of the emergent labour shortage, characterized by the paucity of skilled rubber tappers in both the smallholding as well as the plantation sectors. Labour shortage, especially of rubber tappers in the dominant rubber smallholding sector has become a serious issue in recent years, in view of several reasons, such as: (a) rise in area under rubber operated by smallholders along with a corresponding rise in rubber tapped area; (b)
the inertia among younger generations to take up rubber tapping as an economic activity; (c) almost negligible presence and active participation of women in rubber tapping and related activities; (d) ageing of the existing labour force engaged in tapping job, etc. More importantly, a serious outcome of the emerging tapper shortage in Kerala has also been manifest in terms of the growing syndrome of ‘multiple grower dependence of tappers’ in the traditional rubber growing regions of Kerala. Though there have been a few attempts by researchers to
bring out the emerging labour management issues confronting the rubber smallholdings and estate sectors in the state in the context of the market uncertainties in recent years, there has been hardly any serious attempt to understand the crisis in the rubber labour market in the context of the emergent tapper shortage. In this regard, this paper is an attempt in this direction with the objectives to: (a) examine the nature, magnitude and causes of tapping labour scarcity in rubber sector across the three rubber growing regions of Kerala; (b) understand the strategies and actions adopted by the rubber
producers (large planters and small holders) and other stakeholders in the rubber sector to address the tapper shortage problems across regions; and (c) discuss the challenges, critical issues as well as the long-term implications of tapper shortage on the sustainability of small holder rubber production system in Kerala and bring out the imperatives of
policy and institutional strategies. |
|---|---|
| Item Description: | NRPPD Discussion Paper 27 |