Tripura government is contemplating to utilise unused land across the state to make the state one of the major rubber producing states around the globe. The landlocked state, which has already become the second largest producing state in the country, will emerge as one of the best rubber producing zones in the days to come, said Agriculture Minister Aghore Debbarma at a seminar at Najrul Kalakshetra here on Tuesday. He said that the state has a potential of 1, 00,000 hectare of land and only 4000 hectare of land has been brought under the integrated rubber plantation so far. "This could well be increased to 6,000 hectare of more land', he said. Debbarma also said that tribal people engaged in shifting cultivation would be benefitted if the full potential of rubber plantation is implemented properly. Addressing the seminar, Rubber Board officials said that the impact of rubber in the state has been quite significant in raising the living standard of people, especially tribal people. They also acknowledged the contribution of the TFDPC and TRPC for developing rubber plantation. They further said that the Block Plantation Scheme implemented by the Rubber Board from the year 1992 in collaboration with the state government for socio-economic settlement of the