The United Planters Association of Southern India (UPASI) and the Rubber Board signed a Memorandum of Understanding in Coonoor on Saturday. A press release from the UPASI said there was a need for greater interaction between rubber growing industry and Rubber Research Institute of India to ensure the requirements of the industry were aligned with research initiatives.

Hence, M. Vasanthagesan, Executive Director, Rubber Board and R. Sanjith, Secretary General of the UPASI, signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to facilitate research, extension, and training in Natural Rubber.

The research and collaboration would be made in rubber research institute technologies related to natural rubber that would be aligned with the industry requirements, research on high yielding, climate resilient and high timber content clones, increasing yield per tree per annum, mechanisation to augment productivity, and addressing the labour shortage, the press release said.