The Rubber, Chemical & Petrochemical Skill Development Council (RCPSDC), under the aegis of the Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship, set up by the National Skill Development Corporation (NSDC), aims to nurture young talent in the country to improve livelihood opportunities.

The rubber industry in India is facing huge challenges and disruptions, not least due to the shortage of rubber, skilled workforce or the lack of interest among the younger generation in following the footsteps of their predecessors in the natural rubber tapping profession.

But as the proverb goes, ‘every opportunity is a blessing in disguise’, there are stakeholders who are working tirelessly to improve the situation. Among them, Saif Mohammad, CEO of the Rubber, Chemical & Petrochemical Skill Development Council, is optimistic about his organisation’s role in acting as a bridge between the government and the industry.

“A lot of efforts have already been made, and a lot more are ongoing as we speak. We engage with the industry to educate them and actively, proactively seek their feedback on how and what they need, which can be incorporated into our training programmes,” he shared.

As the head of RCPSDC, Mohammad is tasked with driving skill training in the rubber sector by largely complementing the development of qualifications spanning rubber (natural and synthetic) production, rubber product/tyre manufacturing and tyre services and maintenance.

LABOUR SHORTAGE

The development of tyres and other rubber materials is predominantly dependent on rubber tapping, wherein workers make an incision on the tree with a sharp knife, place the collecting cup and repeat the process with subsequent trees. It is estimated that workers carry out this process for hundreds of trees and wait for the cups to be filled with latex. Tapping requires efficient skills to ensure proper incision, so that it does not damage the tree and enables higher extraction of latex.

It may not seem like a very exciting job, given the slow process and subsequently dwindling earnings, which have made it a less lucrative career.

Kerala, once home to the largest rubber tappers in the country, is now facing an acute shortage of skilled workers to continue the profession. Farmers who were earlier involved in the trade are finding it difficult to convince the younger generation to follow in their footsteps.

 “A good percentage of the current workforce working as rubber tappers are trained by their predecessors and have no formal training. I believe formal technical training is required alongside training on new technologies, which not only helps them increase their yield but also enables alternative revenue streams,” explained Mohammad.

He elaborated that it is not just about rubber tapping; farmers also need to see the business potential in their profession. They could look at intercropping, beekeeping and other revenue streams.

“India is facing a significant crunch in terms of feed on plantations. Workers are migrating for better opportunities and leaving the rubber industry. Many of them, for example in Kerala, are going abroad for better earning prospects,” added Mohammad.

On one hand, there is labour shortage and drop in yield of natural rubber, but on the other hand, the demand for natural rubber globally, including in India, is scaling new heights. This raises the question: if there is high demand, why are rubber tappers not reaping the benefits?

Climate change, natural disasters and the average price of natural rubber being below expectations have been hurting farmers. For instance, the peak price of natural rubber was INR 20,805 per 100 kg in 2011-12; at present, it is INR 18,800 per 100 kg (as of 26 December 2024). This means that farmers’ incomes have not kept up with inflation, pushing them to explore other revenue streams.

Mechanised solutions do exist, but the high acquisition costs, as well as an ageing population hesitant to continue the profession, have resulted in rubber tapping remaining heavily dependent on skilled workers.

RCPSDC’S ROLE

“The Government of India is doing its part. The Rubber Board, for instance, is working in tappable areas, and several programmes are run with RCPSDC for training people who can work on plantations. However, there is also a transition towards synthetic rubber in India,” he shared.

Mohammad explained that the import of synthetic rubber is increasing. Manufacturers in the MSME space are actively forging or finding new technologies to switch from natural rubber to synthetic rubber.

“The government is working to protect and enrich the workforce and natural rubber in the country and would definitely want India to continue with it and ensure it does not fall below a certain threshold. However, a significant influx of synthetic rubber is also happening. There has to be a balance, and there’s no immediate answer or figure to it. In the last five years alone, we might have trained more than 25,000 to 30,000 workers in Tamil Nadu alone,” he elaborated.

Regional training is also being conducted across the country by the association based on curricula aligned with the National Occupational Standards (NOS). The curricula ensure that students acquire specific skills required for a particular job role as per the guidelines laid down by the industry; in this case, rubber.

He believes that in addition to skilling/upskilling talents, a lot of vocational training is being conducted through educational institutions such as polytechnics.

“Skill councils like RCPSDC also have courses targeted at people who have not even cleared their secondary education. I think one area we should strengthen our focus on is counselling. It is very important for parents as well as students. Candidates and students are under pressure; they are young and usually opt for things that their parents suggest or that they see happening around them (peer pressure),” said Mohammad.

According to him, while there is a lot of glamour around electronics and engineering, proper education and awareness about career progression opportunities in the rubber, polymer or chemical industries should be prioritised.

“Counselling is very important. This is what needs to be addressed by everyone, including industry mentorship programmes. We need to have alumni from these training programmes who can share success stories with newcomers,” Mohammad added.

 The executive believes that people are not recognising the immense opportunity to upscale, increase productivity and enhance efficiency because, in the end, everything boils down to the workforce.

An organisation is only as strong as its weakest link. For instance, on the shop floor, if a person is not trained, that is how strong a company is, he stated. And in the global competitive environment, it is very important to acknowledge that people need training and upskilling to ensure they can contribute not only efficiently but also improve their productivity over time.

“If you are planning to take on these futuristic or emerging roles around sustainability and security, then you need to have trained people, right from the ground level upwards,” concluded Mohammad.

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