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KOTTAYAM we call this district -
the LAND OF LAKES, LETTERS AND LATEX. The name Kottayam means KOTTA - AKAM
i.e, interior of a fort. Rulers of Munjanad and Thekkumkur had their head
quarters at Thaliyil Kotta at Thazhathangadi in the present Kottayam Town. It
is commonly believed that the name Kottayam derived from the KOTTA AKAM of
Thaliyil Kotta. Though Marthandavarma of Travancore attacked Thekkumkur and
destroyed the palace and the Thaliyil Fort, the remnants of the palace and fort
are still seen here.
Kottayam district was a part of the erstwhile princely state of Travancore. In
1868, Kottayam Division was formed and was under the administrative control of a
"Divan Peshkar".Back waters refers to the large inland lakes that are formed by the unique craftsmanship of the sea. Vembanad lake which is the largest lake in Kerala is on the Western side of Kottayam District. The Meenachil river flows through Kottayam district and falls in to Vembanad Lake. Moovatupuzha river flowing through northern parts and Manimala river flowing through southern parts of the district also fall into Vembanad lake. Kumarakam, is a tourist Centre 12 km. west of Kottayam town. This land is really a gift of God to mankind. It is a part of Kuttanad which is a very beautiful place of scenic beauty lying below the sealevel, comprising of a number of islands, in the backwaters. Kottayam district is an important education centre. The district also has the distinction of being the first in the country to have achieved highest literacy (100%). There are several arts, science and commerce college, a medical college and an engineering college in and around Kottayam. This ancient town is famous for its churches. Several Christian churches maintain theological seminaries in Kottayam. Kottayam is also the home of umpteen number of publications. The largest selling languages newspaper in India, MALAYALA MANORAMA has its head quarters at Kottayam. Several book publishing firms are functioning at Kottayam, of which Sahitya Pravarthaka Sahakarana Sanghom, the writers co-operative deserves mention. There are several pilgrim centers in and around Kottayam.  There
are several industrial units in the districts, of which Hindustan Newsprint
Ltd. at Mavellor is the largest . Travancore Cements Ltd., Tecil Chemicals and
Hydro Power Ltd., are other major industrial units in the district. MRF Ltd.
is having a production centre at Kottayam. A large number of small scale
industrial units using rubber latex as raw-material is functioning in the
district. Several units process centrifuged latex in this district. In the
matter of production of Natural rubber, Crumb rubber and other varieties of
rubber Meenachil taluk of Kottayam district is in the forefront. The Rubber
Board headquarters and the Rubber Research Institute of India are situated in
Kottayam.Rubber and the economy of Kottayam Natural rubber is a vital raw material for the rubber goods manufacturing industry which in turn produces a variety of products indispensable for modern life.  During
1997-98 while 5.33 lakh hectares of rubber area produced 5.49 lakh tones of
natural rubber in the whole of India, 86% of the rubber area in Kerala produced
94% of the total natural rubber production in the country. Kottayam district
being the predominant rubber producing district in Kerala, having 1,08,433
hectares of rubber area, produced 1,13,225 tones of rubber which is 24% of the
total production in the country. A peculiar feature of the rubber plantation
industry is that this important raw material for the major rubber goods industry
is the gift of nature. 99% of the rubber producers are small holders with
average size of the holding at 0.5 hectare. Rubber Producers' Societies are the
village level organisation of small rubber holders. There are 377 rubber
producers societies in Kottayam District. The value of rubber produced in the
district during 94-95 is approximately Rs. 600 crores. The percapita income of
the people of Kottayam district from rubber plantation alone, coming to more
than Rs. 3,000 per year, is a rough indicator of the nature's gift for the well
being of the population of 18 lakhs in the district.Productivity of rubber in the district is quite significant. India is leading in productivity among natural rubber producing countries with 1,503 kg. per hectare in 96-97. This is on the increase year after year. Compared to Malaysia, which is the largest producer of natural rubber, our productivity in the field of natural rubber production is higher. Kottayam district is one of the best yielding rubber areas in the country. Rubber Board, headquarters at Kottayam, has a unique role in enhancing productivity in rubber plantations. Kerala having 891 rubber based industrial units lead other states in the number of rubber based industrial units. There is a concentration of small and large scale rubber based industrial units in Kottayam district which contributes considerably to the economic progress of the district. Supply of rubber wood from the district is another factor of economic significance. Rubber wood is used mainly as firewood. A share of the total output of rubber wood is used for industrial purposes, especially for use as packing wood. Processed rubber wood is used for making furniture and for making buildings. Kottayam district leads other districts in the matter of supply of rubber wood. This leading position of supplier of rubber wood will continue to be with Kottayam district in the years to come. Rubber plantation is a labour intensive industry directly employing about 1 lakh labourers in this district. Rubber plantations contribute for reforestation and ecological balancing. The greatest importance of rubber is the predominance of small rubber growers and the benefits the industry gets are distributed among the largest number of people in the district. Considering all these factors, we can say that the well being of the people of Kottayam district depends on natural rubber. |
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| J & J Trade Links' main business dealing in all types of natural rubber in the following specifications. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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