RUBBER Skill Development Centre (RSDC) Chairperson, Vinod Simon said during the recently concluded India Rubber Summit and Dinner in Kochi that about 50,000 individuals will be trained with rubber skills in the next one-year period.
Together with All India Rubber Industries Association (AIRIA), Automotive Tyre Manufacturers’ Association (ATMA) and National Skill Development Corporation, RSDC will be re-skilling and upgrading the workforce with the help of 160 institutes and 2,000 trainers.
The groups are targeting to train 6 lakh people over the next 10 years.
Likewise, RSDC is giving vocational training to school students. Simon said that already fifteen schools in and around Kottayam have been short listed for the training course. The Rubber Board’s Rubber Training Institute (RTI) also plans to affiliate with RSDC.
In a related news, the Rubber Board has lowered its natural rubber (NR) projections to nearly 10% at the onset of the monsoon season, marked by intensive southwest monsoon and an abnormal leaf fall in traditional planting areas.
According to the Board’s Chairperson, Sheela Thomas, the NR production in the country during the current fiscal (2013-14) is estimated at 870,000 metric tonnes, down from an initial projection of 960,000 tonnes ( a 9.37% drop or 90,000 metric tonnes).
She noted that the extent of tapped area has shown a marginal increase of 504,000 ha in 2012-13 to 518,000 ha in 2013-14. Likewise, the heavy rain has resulted in a higher level of moisture content in the soil. These two factors could contribute to an increased level of production in the coming months.
She added that domestic production of NR during April-August 2013 is 265,000 tonnes, lower than the consumption level of 408,805 tonnes. Import and export of NR during April-August 2013 were 128,465 tonnes and 2,319 tonnes respectively, while consumption of NR for the year 2013-14 is projected at 945,000 metric tonnes.