Assam has secured its position as India’s third-largest rubber-producing state, following Kerala and Tripura, marking a significant milestone in the state’s economic trajectory. At a press briefing in Guwahati, organised by the Department of Commerce as part of the Government of India’s campaign commemorating 12 Years of Governance, Rubber Board Executive Director M. Vasanthagesan emphasized the vast potential for rubber cultivation in Assam and the wider Northeast.
He noted that the Board is prioritising both expansion of cultivation areas and productivity enhancement to address the demand-supply gap in natural rubber.
Currently, rubber cultivation in the Northeast spans approximately 1.8 lakh hectares, with Assam accounting for nearly 50,000 hectares. Vasanthagesan highlighted the progress of the INROAD Project, a collaborative initiative funded by the Automotive Tyre Manufacturers Association (ATMA), aimed at developing plantations across the Northeast and West Bengal. Since its launch in 2021, plantations have been established across 1,79,376 hectares, benefiting over 2,07,000 growers up to the 2025 planting season.
Kapil Chaudhary, Joint Secretary in the Department of Commerce, also addressed the briefing, emphasising India’s expanding trade opportunities under various Free Trade Agreements.
She pointed out Assam’s growing export potential, noting that alongside tea, products such as petroleum, coal, drug formulations, cosmetics, and toiletries are increasingly contributing to the state’s export basket. Rubber, she added, is emerging as a promising sector for exports.
In a notable development, Chaudhary revealed that the world’s first genetically modified rubber plant, developed by the Rubber Research Institute specifically for the region, has been planted in Assam.
She further outlined the Centre’s upcoming Export Promotion Mission (EPM), with an outlay of ₹25,060 crore between 2025-26 and 2030-31, designed to provide a comprehensive, flexible, and digitally driven framework to boost exports and enhance the competitiveness of domestic industries.
