ayurvedic and allopathic pharmaceutical firms, bakery, confectionary, dairy and tobacco manufacturing. The emerging trends in the natural rubber sector at global and national levels in terms of viability of rubber as a monocrop and the extent of commercial exploitation of ancillary products vary considerably. In India, the growing uncertainty of rubber cultivation in the context of opening up of Jhe economy calls for appropriate R and D efforts and promotional mechanisms to maximise the returns during the immature and mature phases of rubber plantations. In future, the potential sources of income from intercrops and ancillary products can play a decisive role in determining the viability of NR cultivation.
