With rubber plantation activities under Project INROAD (Indian Natural Rubber Operations for Assisted Development) in Northeast India nearing completion, the next phase of development has gathered momentum under iSPEED (INROAD Skilling and Production Efficiency Enhancement Drive), with a focus on enhancing the productivity and quality of natural rubber through skill development and modern infrastructure.The ₹150-crore iSPEED programme aims to strengthen the natural rubber sector by improving the skills of nearly three lakh rubber growers across the Northeast. It will provide structured training while supporting the establishment of modern processing infrastructure, including rubber sheeting machines and scientifically designed smokehouses, to improve the quality and value of natural rubber produced in the region.As part of this effort, a series of educational videos aimed at enhancing skills and improving quality standards in natural rubber processing has been launched. The videos cover five critical aspects of natural rubber processing—Rubber Tapping, Rain Guarding, Grading, Rubber Sheet Making and Scientific Smokehouses. Produced in Assamese, Bengali, Hindi and Malayalam, the videos are intended to facilitate wider outreach among rubber growers and stakeholders across the natural rubber ecosystem.The videos were formally launched by M. Vasanthagesan, Executive Director, Rubber Board in the presence of Siju T. Nair, Rubber Production Commissioner.Skill development and adoption of scientific practices are essential for improving both productivity and quality in the natural rubber sector. These multilingual videos will serve as an effective training resource for growers and complement the Rubber Board’s ongoing extension efforts across the country, said Mohan Kurian, Chairman INROAD Project.Developed over the last one year, the videos were produced with technical support from the Rubber Board and the Rubber Research Institute of India (RRII). The modules combine animation with real-life field demonstrations, making scientific processing practices easy to understand and adopt.Sanjiv Saxena, Convener, ATMA Supply Chain & Resources (SCR) Group, said, “The objective of the participating member companies under INROAD is to ensure that natural rubber growers benefit the most from a stronger natural rubber value chain. By improving productivity and quality, we aim to help farmers realize better returns while strengthening the sustainability of the entire ecosystem.”Project INROAD is a unique partnership between the Indian tyre industry and the Rubber Board of India. Te project has facilitated nearly 1.8 lakh hectares of new natural rubber plantations across 113 districts in the Northeast India over the last five years, making it the largest rubber plantation development programmes undertaken in the country.Published on August 5, 2026