Ref: Monthly Rubber Stastical News August 2010 Vol 69 No 3

Summary

Rubber Board Statistics realistic – Chairman

Kottayam
16 February 2011

Rubber Board Chairman Smt. Sheela Thomas has asserted that the statistics of the Board is prepared realistically by collecting, compiling and collating data from different sources, but the entire quantity shown as stock will not be available in the market for immediate consumption. She was responding to the doubts raised by certain quarters about the accuracy of the Board’s statistics.

The stock of natural rubber in the country at the end of January 2011 is provisionally estimated at 3,27,115 tonnes. This includes various forms of rubber, that too at various levels such as growers, dealers, processors, manufacturers etc. Of this, the stock with the processors and manufacturers and nearly 50% of the stock available with the growers are not available for trading. The RSS grades (sheet rubber) available in the market is estimated to be only 1,29,500 tonnes (nearly 40% of the total stock), she said.

Branding Would Increase Acceptability of Indian NR –Sheela Thomas

Kottayam
25 February 2011

The prevailing market situation, in which the international rubber prices are ruling much above the domestic prices, is conducive to export, which in turn may help Indian growers to realise international price, said Smt. Sheela Thomas, Chairman, Rubber Board. She also observed that using the quality certification logo of the Rubber Board would increase the acceptability of Indian Natural Rubber (NR) in the world market.
Smt. Sheela Thomas was distributing the Indian NR brand certificates to the first batch of exporters, exporting with the logo. The certification will entitle the exporters to use the logo designed by the Board on their consignment. Branding is expected to establish Indian NR as a quality product and help it fetch a premium price, which will benefit not only the exporters, but the producers as well. Such a branding of NR for export is the first of its kind to be implemented in any rubber producing country.
The use of logo is permitted for the export consignments conforming to the quality specifications as defined in the Green Book and by the Bureau of Indian Standards. The branding is for the shipment of R.S.S. (Ribbed Smoked Sheet), I.S.N.R. (Indian Standard Natural Rubber) and concentrated latex grades. The holographic logo stickers for sealing the export consignments are developed by C-DIT (Centre for Development of Imaging Technology).
The certificates were awarded to Pala Marketing Co-operative Society (exporting sheet rubber to Turkey), Hevea Crumb Rubber Factory and Ashok Trade Links (both exporting block rubber to Pakistan). A good response for branding is observed from the NR exporters and more than 500 metric tonnes of branded rubber is expected to be shipped during the next week.

REMARKS:-

Will be published

Will try to publish. Available in malayalam.

Decision taken in the 104th meeting of the Genetic Engineering Appraisal Committee
(GEAC) held on 15.11.2010.

The 104 meeting of the GEAC was held on 15.11.2010 in the Ministry of Environment and Forests (MoEF) under the chairmanship of Shri M.F. Farooqui, Additional Secretary, MoEF and Chairman, GEAC. The deliberations and decision taken in the GEAC meeting in respect of Agenda items 4 to 6 are
as follows:

…………………….

5.11 Permission to conduct Biosafety Research Level-1 (BRL-1) trial of Para Rubber Tree [Hevea brasiliensis [Wild. Ex Adr. De Juss.) Muell. Arg.] on Hb. SOD-L1 & L2 (Two transgenic events lines)] by Rubber Research Institute of India, Kottayam.

5.11.1 The Committee considered the request of Rubber Research Institute of India, Kottayam. has requested permission to conduct Biosafety Research Level-1 (BRL-1) trial of Para Rubber Tree [Hevea brasiliensis (Wild. Ex Adr. De Juss.) Muell. Arg.] on Hb. SOD-L1 & L2 (two transgenic events (lines) developed using the same gene construct in the same species and variety) containing manganese superoxide dismutase gene (cDNA) . Trials will be conducted at two locations, namely Dapchari, Thane and Chethackal, Thombikandom, Kerala belongs to Rubber Research institute in an area of 0.4 ha.

5.11.2 The Committee noted that the purpose of the trials is to evaluate:
i. The potential of Hevea brasiliensis transgenic plant integrated with MnSOD gene for enhanced tolerance to abiotic stress and tapping panel dryness syndrome as well as to assess the capability of the plants to grow better with higher yield under adverse conditions.

ii. The proposed design is RBD with four treatments, five replicates and a plot size of six. Boundaries and isolation belt will be planted with non-modified Hevea brasiliensis plants.

iii. The data to be collected include growth and latex yield data recording; physiological parameters determining abiotic stress tolerance such as leaf water potential, photosynthetic net assimilation rate (‘A’), fluorescent parameters like Dark Fv/Fm & Phi. PSII; antioxidant enzyme assay of superoxide dismutase & peroxidase and estimation of H2O2 content.

iv. TPD (tapping panel dryness syndrome ) incidence will also be recorded.

5.11.3 The Committee also noted the following reproductive isolation measures are
proposed:
i. In the Trial site-I, towards the eastern and western side, for about 200 m no sexually compatible species are growing. Towards the northern and southern side, 75 m each will be kept as isolation belt by planting the same species.

ii. In the Trial site-II, 50 m on all sides will be kept as isolation belt by planting the same species.

iii. In both the trial sites, after flowering (by the 5 year after planting), all the seeds produced by the existing plants of the same species within 100 m from the boundary of the trial area will be collected and destroyed by burning.

5.11.4 The Committee further noted that the IBSC has recommended the proposal. The application was earlier considered by the RCGM in the 88 meeting held on 20.04.2010 wherein it was decided that the opinion of three scientists specializing in molecular biology viz. Dr. M. Udaya Kumar, UAS, Bangalore; Dr. V. Siva Reddy, ICGEB, New Delhi and Dr. Sanjay Kumar, IHBT, Palampur may be taken prior to forwarding the same for GEAC approval as this would be the first transgenic tree crop to be permitted for BRL-I trials. Based on comments of the three scientists and clarifications submitted by the applicant, the proposal was recommended by the RCGM in the 94th meeting held on 26.10.2010. The Committee considered the comments received from the experts and noted that the applicant has provided requisite clarification satisfactorily.

5.11.5 In view of the above stated facts and taking into consideration the recommendations of the RCGM, the Committee approved the request to conduct Biosafety Research Level-1 (BRL-1) trials of Para Rubber Tree [Hevea brasiliensis (Wild. Ex Adr. De Juss.) Muell. Arg.] on Hb. SOD-L1 & L2 (Two transgenic events lines.

See an old post below:

We want soil health for sustainable agriculture and survival of humanity.