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

Table2.11
Adoption of Tapping System
Type of tapping Number of tappers Percentage
Daily 2 1.00
Alternate daily 179 89.50
Third daily 19 9.50
Total 200 100
The general trend is that growers of even small land area are hiring tappers and
tapping and allied works are fully undertaken by tappers. Out of the total sample tappers,
93 percent are full time tappers and 7 percent are farmers or small-scale businessmen
rather than tappers. They engage in tertiary sectors also.
According to the nature of the trees, there are different types of tapping systems
such as daily tapping system, intensive tapping, high-level tapping, controlled up ward
tapping etc. Half spiral alternate daily tapping system is adopted by 89.50 percent of
farmers though various diseases affect their trees. Only 9.5 percent has followed the
improved tapping system like third daily. Another reason for such a selection is the
labour problem. The entire tappers are using only ordinary knife for tapping. According
to the tappers, it does not make any benefit by adopting the new techniques.
Male tappers dominate the field of tapping. Female tappers are interested more in
estate tapping because there is no gender discrimination regarding wage or allowances.
Only 4 percent of the entire tappers are women.
On average a tapper taps around 275 trees per day. Out of the total tapping fields,
79 percent of tappers are working in one holding whereas 18.5 percent in two holdings
and only 2.5 percent in three holdings.