📷 Image: Wikimedia Commons / Rojypala at Malayalam Wikipedia
Agriculture
Tripura Plans to Shift from Rubber Monoculture to Malabar Neem and Agroforestry
✍️ Northeast Today
🗓 03 Sep 2026, 07:33 AM
👁 3
The state government of Tripura is evaluating the replacement of extensive rubber plantations with Malabar neem and diversified agroforestry systems to boost farmer incomes and ecological resilience.
Tripura's agriculture department has launched a study to assess alternatives to the state's long‑standing rubber monoculture. Officials say the focus is on introducing Malabar neem, a fast‑growing, nitrogen‑fixing tree, alongside mixed‑crop agroforestry models that can provide multiple harvests per year.
The initiative aims to address declining rubber prices and the vulnerability of single‑crop farming to pests and climate stress. By integrating neem with fruit, spice and medicinal plants, the government hopes to create a more resilient farming ecosystem and generate higher returns for smallholders.
Stakeholders, including farmer groups and research institutes, are being consulted to design suitable planting patterns and market linkages. The pilot phase is slated to begin in select districts later this year, with the state monitoring growth performance and farmer adoption rates.
If successful, Tripura could set a precedent for other northeastern states grappling with similar monoculture challenges, aligning agricultural policy with sustainable land‑use practices.
The initiative aims to address declining rubber prices and the vulnerability of single‑crop farming to pests and climate stress. By integrating neem with fruit, spice and medicinal plants, the government hopes to create a more resilient farming ecosystem and generate higher returns for smallholders.
Stakeholders, including farmer groups and research institutes, are being consulted to design suitable planting patterns and market linkages. The pilot phase is slated to begin in select districts later this year, with the state monitoring growth performance and farmer adoption rates.
If successful, Tripura could set a precedent for other northeastern states grappling with similar monoculture challenges, aligning agricultural policy with sustainable land‑use practices.