Kerala’s ‘rubber belt’ farmers are switching to exotic fruit for better income

Thidanadu panchayat stands in the midst of Kerala’s “rubber belt” in Kottayam district. But in the past decade alone, a third of rubber farmland in the panchayat’s Ward 8 has been converted into exotic tree farms, according to Abraham Xavier, Secretary of the ward’s Rubber Producers’ Society. In the coming years, he says, several other farmers here plan to replace rubber with rambutan, exotic jackfruit varieties, dragon fruit, and other crops.

Rubber is the second most cultivated crop in Kerala, accounting for approximately one-fifth of the total cropped area. With unpredictable price fluctuations over the past couple of decades, farmers in the central Kerala rubber belt are gradually abandoning the cash crop, which has long been a lifeline of the region. Those who have transitioned from rubber to exotic fruit crops are reporting substantial profits, despite current knowledge gaps and supply chain issues.

Farmers’ demand has also prompted the state government to consider an amendment in the law that would allow a large-scale shift to these crops, says Nishand S, Deputy Director at Kerala’s Directorate of Plantations. However, scientists caution that a rapid shift could have a negative impact on both the region’s ecology and farmers’ profits.

Spurt in exotic fruit farming

Introduced pre-independence, rubber farming became widespread in several districts...

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