Kerala has been the confluence of several major commercial ventures. Besides trade and commerce, these powerful countries left their indelible insignia in God's Own Country. The Dutch traders brought with themselves the highly profitable rubber plant. Rubber plantations in Kerala are very popular tourist hotspots as well as major lucre earners.

Kerala's burgeoning economy receives tremendous impetus from the blossoming rubber plantations. This state is famed to be the biggest supplier of rubber in India.

The Hevea Brasiliensis plantations flourishes in tropical temperatures. Kerala is blessed with ideal temperatures to produce premier quality rubber. It is, however, a time consuming process. It takes a time period of seven years for a rubber sapling to reach maturity. A single rubber tree can produce latex for a over twenty long years. These plantations are the source of sustenance for many workers.

The process of extraction of latex from the plant is quite fascinating. The worker makes an incision on the tough protective outer covering of the tree. The latex drips into a vessel that is bound to the tree. When a rubber tree ceases to fertile, a new sapling replaces it.

The tourism sector has made forays into the world of rubber plantations too. Backpackers can saunter through the lush rubber groves and get up, close and personal with the intoxicating beauty of nature. An exquisite treasure trove of fauna and verdant vegetation, the rubber plantations offers you a marvelous glimpse of rare species of migratory birds, and exquisite vegetation.

The internet literate farmers can log on to www.kissankerala.net to cull more information on the nitty gritties of rubber plantation.

So on your next trip to the lovely locales of Kerala, do not forget to add a sojourn to the rubber orchards.

Last Updated on 25 May 2011

Plantations in Kerala