Technology and institutional finance, which are accessible to small-scale growers too, in the plantation sector are critical for the sector’s growth, said Amit Kumar, Joint Secretary of the Ministry of Commerce and Industry, on Wednesday (September 23).

Speaking at the annual conference of the United Planters Association of Southern India and presenting the TGLIA:STC awards at Coonoor, he said the future of the sector lies in partnership among all the stakeholders of the sector.

An eco system should be built for inclusive growth of the sector, where every kilogram of plantation produce has better value addition and is globally recognised.

The plantation sector contributes to agriculture output and export earnings, is a means of livelihood to thousands, provides raw material to multiple industries, and supports many downstream industries. Hence, it is an entire economic ecosystem, he said.

In a developed India, the plantation sector should have higher value per hectare, better technology adoption, increased exports, higher income for growers, and higher productivity. Its focus should move from commodities to value-added products.

Research in plantation sector should be connected to the farmer, who in turn should be connected to the processor. The processor should develop brands that target global consumers. “Sustainability should be part of our business model. The plantation sector should be able to produce more with less water and other natural resources,” he added.

At the annual meeting of the Association, Abhishek Poddar, managing director of Matheson Bosanquet Enterprises, has been elected president of The United Planters’ Association of Southern India (UPASI) for 2026-27.

Anil Mathew, executive director (Plantations), A V Thomas Group Companies, has been elected vice-president of UPASI for 2026-27. He has 35 years of experience across a wide range of plantations crops, including tea, coffee, rubber, cardamom and pepper.

The Rubber Board will launch a digital platform called ‘INR Konnect’ on a pilot scale soon to document all details of untapped rubber plantations.

Executive Director of the Board M. Vasanthagesan said at the annual conference of the United Planters Association of Southern India in Coonoor on Wednesday (September 23) that growers have plantations in which the rubber is not tapped regularly for multiple reasons.

The adopting agencies should know details about such plantations, and the plantation owners need to know the credible agencies that they can approach for tapping. “The platform has the potential to increase production by 20%,” he told The Hindu. The pilot stage of the project is likely to be rolled out in a month.

Further, with increase in rubber imports, the Rubber Board has taken up with the Bureau of Indian Standards the need to come up with standards for compounded rubber. “There is no monitoring mechanism now for rubber imports. We need standards first to monitor the imports,” he said.

The United Planters’ Association of Southern India (UPASI) will organise a three-day event in Coonoor from September 21 to 23 bringing together experts, policy makers, and stakeholders of the plantation sector.

Vice President of India C.P. Radhakrishnan will be the chief guest at the inaugural ceremony of the centenary conference of the UPASI Tea Research Foundation on September 21.

The event will mark the completion of 100 years of the UPASI Tea Research Foundation that was established in 1926 as the UPASI Tea Scientific Department.

The UPASI president, Ajoy Thipaiah, said in a press release that following the inauguration on September 21, scientists, policymakers, industry leaders, and allied stakeholders will take part in an international conference to be held on September 22.

The technical deliberations will fall under four main expert sessions – sustainable tea, climate smart tea, smart tea, and new frontiers for the tea sector.

On September 23, technical sessions will be held on the topics “The Regenerative Plantation” by Sunil D. Tamgale, Scientific Agro Technologies, Chikkamagaluru; “Alternative Coffee Species: Liberica and Excelsa in Modern Coffee Industry Landscape” by Thai Dang, Founder, 96B Café & Roastery and 96B Coffee Company, Vietnam; and “Navigating EUDR: Ensuring Sustainable and Traceable Coffee and Rubber Production” by Manoj Vembu, TRST01, Singapore.

Mr. Thipaiah added that the 133rd annual conference of UPASI will be held on September 23 when awards will be presented to the winners of the Golden Leaf India Awards (TGLIA): Southern Tea Competition.

The UPASI Industrial Exhibition (Plantation Expo) will be held on September 22 and 23, he added.

The United Planters’ Association of Southern India (UPASI) has urged the government to maintain status quo on the import duty on natural rubber as a section of the rubber user industry has sought reduction of the import duty on key inputs and raw materials.

Ajoy Thipaiah, the Association president, said in a statement that the rubber plantation sector sustains nearly 13.2 lakh growers and provides employment to around 4.2 lakh workers. India currently has about 9.4 lakh hectares under natural rubber cultivation, with production in FY26 estimated at approximately nine lakh tonnes.

The domestic rubber prices have shown a ‘modest upward trend’ in recent months due to geopolitical developments and production shortages both, globally and domestically. However, Indian rubber prices remained subdued in comparison with international prices over the last two years. The prices of major inputs such as fertilisers, plant protection chemicals, and skilled labour have increased at 8-12% over the past decade.

Santosh Kumar, chairman, Rubber Committee of the Association, added that imports of natural rubber and compound rubber have increased considerably over the years. Of particular concern is the growing share of compound rubber imports, accounting for nearly 40% of total rubber imports. Most of this is imported from ASEAN countries duty free, he said.