Kulathupuzha Estate of the company is situated in Pathanapuram Taluk,the eastern part of Kollam district of Kerala.458 Srilankan repatriate families are settled in the estate and two members from each family are provided with employment in the company. The total area of the estate is 1337 ha and of which, 1308 Ha. is planted with rubber and 29 . Ha of area which is under the high tension lines are planted with dwarf variety cashew plants.
The Estate comprises of six units having an average area of 200 to 250 Ha. and each unit is headed by an Asst. Manager. The felling and replanting of old plantations which are raised during 1970’s, were started during the year 2001 and till the year 2013, 912.88 Ha.of area is felled and replanted with high yielding clones like RRII 105, RRII 414, RRII 430, PR 207, PB 260 etc.
The settlement and welfare activities of the repatriate families in the estate.
The repatriate families are inhabitated at labour colonies at different parts of the estate. The dependent family members of labourers are also residing along with the labour quarters. The children of labourers and their dependents are studying at schools and colleges in the near by locality and school bus facility is provided to them for the conveyance of the children from their residence. A Government High School in ‘Tamil Medium’ is also functioning in the estate for the education of children of the repatriates. A garden hospital is functioning in the estate with the service of a residential medical officer. Medicines are supplied to the employees and their dependents at free of cost from the pharmacy attached to the hospital. Free electricity and water are also provided in the labour lines.
Agricultural operations.
The replanting operations were started during the year 2001 and is ongoing now. The replanting is scheduled to be completed at Kulathupuzha estate during the year 2017 as per the present project report. Bud wood nursery, seedling nurseries and poly bag nurseries with a capacity of 100000 seedlings are operating in the estate. High quality seedlings are developed from these nurseries aiming to plant in the estate and sale among the rubber planters at reasonable prices. The seedlings raised in the nurseries of the estate are having good market among the rubber growers and planters. Along with the traditional polybag type rubber seedlings, seedlings in ‘ root trainer’ technology are also raised in the nurseries of the estate. Since the year 2001, high yielding clones are planted in the estate as part of replanting and clones planted are as follows.
Year of planting Clones planted
2001 RRII 105,PB 260,PB 28/59
2002 RRII 105,PB 260,PB 28/59,PR 255
2003 RRII 105,
2004 RRII 105,PB 260,
2005 RRII 105
2006 RRII105,RRII 414,RRII 417,RRII 422,RRII 429,RRII 430
2007 RRII 414,RRII 417,RRII 105,RRII 422, RRII 429, RRII 430
2008 RRII 414,RRII 105
2009 RRII 414,RRII 430,RRII 105
2010 RRII 430,RRII 105
2011 RRII 414,RRII 430
2012 RRII 414,RRII 105,RRII 430
2013 RRII 105,RRII 414, RRII 430
The yielding from the high yielding 400 series clones are started in the estate during the year 2013 .
Environment concern activities
A well managed and systematized waste control system, as laid down by the ISO 14001 standards are implemented in the estate with special emphasis on the control of littering of plastic material are operated in the estate. The segregated waste collected from the residential colonies and work places are stored in the central waste yard in the estate and disposed off systematically.
Check dams, ponds etc . are constructed at various ideal locations in the estate, aiming conservation of water and which also, added the scenic beauty of the estate. Gully plugging, ‘edakayyala’ etc. are also constructed to evade soil erosion.
The quality of normal latex produced from the estate is monitored through quality procedures of ISO 9001-2008 standards.