socio-economic profile of rubber tappers in the small holding sector

total sample households, 46.5percent come within the income range of Rs.10, 000 to
20,000. The second largest group belongs to the income range of Rs.20, 000 to 30,000.
Only 11percent of the sample households have got an income above Rs.
30,000.(Table2.7)
Income range
(Rs)
Below 10,000
10,000-20,000
20,000-30,000
30,000-40,000
40,000 and above
Table2.7
The Relative Share of Different Sources of Income [percentage]
Tapping Agriculture Animal
71
67.50
61
46.10
25.20
-
1.50
3.50
5.00
26.20
husbandry
4.40
6.10
7.25
7.80
1.20
Casual
labour
19.60
11.30
14.50
18.80
7.00
Others
5.00
13.60
13.75
22.30
40.40
Major portion of their average income [54.2percent] is obtained from rubber
tapping. The contribution of agriculture is 7.2 percent and that of animal husbandry 5.4
percent. The second largest source of income is tertiary sector [19percent].
versa.
Higher the income group, lower will be the share of tapping in the income and vice
Pushpan, 40 years old, the head of household, is a tapper . His wife is a clerk in
Housing Board. Pushpan is an asthma patient. Therefore he cannot go for tapping
continuously and systematically. But financially the household is comparatively safe,
because of the income earned by the wife. The share of tapping in the total income of the
family is very low. But the number of such family is low.