A worker collects latex in a rubber plantation (AFP)

Agartala, Feb. 12: Rising stacks of trayloads of the coveted white juice proclaim a silent revolution. Visibly euphoric tribals have finally hit the jackpot, leaving behind dreary days of semi-starvation.

Nestled in the Sonamura subdivision of West Tripura, Dhanirampur, home to 264 tribal families, was known for jhum (slash and burn) cultivation. To make both ends meet, impoverished tribals sold firewood in the Boxanagar market.

In 1999, rubber cultivation emerged as a source of livelihood for the impoverished people. With active sponsorship from the tribal welfare department, the Rubber Board involved 45 tribal families in rubber cultivation on 45 hectares of land. But this year, the rubber-processing centre launched in 2002, started producing sheets on a daily basis.

?At present, 70 families of the village are engaged in rubber cultivation and more are keen to join in. The matter is being considered,? said Madhu Debbarma, secretary of the Dhanirampur Rubber Co-operative. He said everyday 300 kg to 600 kg of rubber sheets are produced in the processing centre from latex collected from the co-operative garden.

Madhu said even when production is at its lowest ebb, income of at least Rs 1.5 lakh per month is generated from the sale of rubber. This, in turn, generates a net income of Rs 80,000.

?The six employees in the rubber processing centre of Dhanirampur are given monthly salaries by the co-operative. With prices rising in the national and international markets, we are expecting higher incomes,? said Madhu. ?There was a time when I had to take recourse to back-breaking labour as a day-labourer and jhumia (shifting cultivator) but still could not have two square meals a day with my family. But now I am far better off,? he said.

The chairman of the village development committee of Dhanirampur, Chitta Debbarma, said 164 tribal families in the village are surviving by shifting cultivation and collecting firewood from the nearby forest areas. ?But most of them are interested in rubber cultivation. They will also be gradually involved.?