Government to Give Training on Latex Harvest Technology

The Rubber Board, a statutory body constituted by the Government of India, is going to organize two-day training in latex harvest technology on February 11 and 12 at Rubber Training Institute, Kottayam, Kerala. As per the report, the training includes latex harvesting, different types of tapping knives, modern tapping methods, application of stimulating agents, controlled upward tapping.

What is Natural Latex Harvesting?

The most important part of the natural latex foam manufacturing process is the rubber tree. Rubber trees are native to South America, but in the early 1800s, people started attempting to cultivate them in larger areas. Rubber trees are so economically valuable that they ended up spreading quite far, from South America to just about every other tropical area in the world including Sri Lanka and the Southern part of India. 

What is Rubber Tapping? 

Rubber tapping is the process by which latex is collected from a rubber tree. The latex is harvested by slicing a groove into the bark of the tree at a depth of a quarter-inch with a hooked knife and peeling back the bark. Trees must be approximately six years old and six inches in diameter in order to be tapped for latex. 

 For details, contact phone 0481-2353127, 2351313, 2353326. Email: training@rubberboard.org.