Rubber estates owners in the Ittapana area in Sri Lanka are facing a shortage of experienced rubber tappers.
In the past the already prevalent tapper scarcity as well as the wet season had uprooted most rubber trees in the Ittapana area. But the increasing demand for rubber has encouraged farmers to start cultivating rubber.
Rubber plantation owners have hired rubber tappers to work for their plantation, but failed to find experienced tappers, thus leaving them no choice but to do the job themselves.
To mitigate this shortage, Rubber Research Institute (RRI), Agalawatte, senior research officer Dr Wasantha Seneviratne suggested that those who wish to learn the art of rubber tapping can take courses on rubber tapping. (RJA)