Tripura’s rubber belt eyes a second life as tyre makers look east

The rubber trees planted across Tripura in the 1970s and 80s now cover an area larger than the state’s paddy fields, and their latex feeds tyre factories from Chennai to Silchar.

After a decade of low prices, demand from a rebounding tyre industry has lifted returns, and growers are investing in tapping technology.

Officials are now courting processing units to keep more of the value chain in the state.