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

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There is no wide difference in wage rate between various regions of Kanjirappally panchayath. In the study area 81 percent of tappers are getting a wage rate of Rs. 25-30 per 100 trees. The system of sharing of crop is adopted in holdings where only 2 percent of sample tappers are working. There is no specific rate for4 percent of tappers. In small holdings having number of trees below 50, it is difficult to get tappers in the prevailing piece rate, because, it is sheer wastage of time on the part of tappers. So a consolidated amount is fixed as daily wage by mutual understanding of tapper and grower rather than unilaterally implementing the terms and conditions of existing piece rate. Average wage rate estimated, by avoiding 5,6 and 7 categories of the table, isRs. 25.8/- per 100 trees. In some holdings where 12 percent of total sample tappers are working, the average wage rate is fixed as Rs.26.5/- per 100 trees that is termed by the concerned growers and tappers as minimum wage. Actually it is the wage rate which prevailed in plantation rather than smallholdings. Tapping labourers of smallholdings will come under Minimum Wages Act 1948.According to this act, the daily wage of tapper comes up to Rs.25.9/- per 100 trees as on 31-03-2001.Thus, the daily wage of a tapper reaches Rs.77.69/-(300 trees). It is the sum of basic pay Rs. 33.29, wage differential Rs.3/- and then D.A (1995 wage revision). According to the annual yield, holdings are divided into four classes namely class I (up to 170 Kg.), class II (170-270Kg.), class III (270-400Kg.) and class IV (above400Kg.).In class I holdings, the yield of which is below 170 Kg., the minimum quantity of latex to be collected by the tapper is 2 Kg.Class II consists of holdings with a yield range 170-270 Kg. Here the minimum quantity is 4 Kgs. The class III holdings are of the range 271-400 Kgs and the minimum task is 6.5 Kgs.The last class represents holdings of highest quantity of crop. Here the minimum task is 8Kgs of latex.
The Minimum Wages Act has made provisions for providing better incentive to workers. In 1995-wage revision, incentive as over kilo rate for latex was enhanced from Rs. 1.15 to Rs.1.70 and over kilo rate for scrap is fixed as 60 paise. But there is not a single holding where these incentives are given. Out of the total employed persons 76.5 percent are tappers. But income from tapping represents only 71 percent of total income of even lowest income group. In the highest income group of sample households, the share of tapping in total income is only 25.2 percent. It shows that income from tapping is comparatively low and therefore less attractive. That is one of the reasons behind the movement of family members of rubber tapping households from tapping to other fields. Certainly, the most important determinant of labour supply is the wage rate .It is a fact that wage rate of tapping is lower than that of casual labour and other agricultural labour. The tapping labourers are aware of it. 3.4 Present Trends of labour market The study reveals that the shortage of tapping laboureres has not reached a serious extent now, though there is scarcity of skilled tappers. Unemployment in the sample households is 26.6 percent. But unemployed persons are not ready for tapping labour. The major reason is low wage rate. Some other factors including market imperfections are also to be brought under study. Not only objective factors like market forces but also subjective factors like perspectives of growers and labour force are to be taken in to consideration. When we analyse various aspects of supply side, there can be seen excess supply of labour. At the same time there is excess demand for labour. Present problem is not a high shortage of labour, but shortage of skilled tappers. The old generation of tappers has
Page 1 and 2: SOCIO-ECONOMIC PROFILE OF RUBBER TA
Page 3 and 4: extend our grateful thanks to all o
Page 5 and 6: LIST OF TABLES Table No. Title Page
Page 7 and 8: INTRODUCTION CHAPTER I Kerala has a
Page 9 and 10: egarding wage structure, terms and
Page 11 and 12: Bent Hansen, Bhalla, Errikson, Robe
Page 13 and 14: the Kanjirappally panchayath. The s
Page 15 and 16: The present study has also made use
Page 17 and 18: Cheramar Total Roman Catholic commu
Page 19 and 20: Family Size Table2.4 Distribution o
Page 21 and 22: Types of roof Tiles Asbestos Concre
Page 23 and 24: total sample households, 46.5percen
Page 25 and 26: Newspaper and Magazines 0.70 Medica
Page 27 and 28: 35000-50000 9 4.50 50000-75000 3 1.
Page 29 and 30: Table2.11 Adoption of Tapping Syste
Page 31 and 32: Distribution of Sample Tappers on t
Page 33 and 34: Women tappers represent only a smal
Page 35 and 36: 3.1 Demand Side Tree crops, includi
Page 37 and 38: from agriculture. But most of the t
Page 39: Farmer tap himself 15 7.50 Total 20
Page 43 and 44: sole reason. There is a belief amon
Page 45 and 46: other laws. Unsettled cases are for
Page 47 and 48: CHAPTER IV Problems And Prospects O
Page 49 and 50: leg in an accident. Then she became
Page 51 and 52: some amount out of their income. No
Page 53 and 54: tappers’ households. As cooking f
Page 55 and 56: having a land area below 5 cents be
Page 57 and 58: power of tappers to a level below t
Page 59 and 60: BIBLIOGRAPHY Books Bardhan Pranab,
Page 61: Devi, Usha .T.V, 31.07.1997, ‘Rub

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

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