Tripura scientist appointed Director of Rubber Research Institute of India

Dr Debabrata Ray, a scientist from Tripura, has been appointed as the Director of the Rubber Research Institute of India (RRII) under the Rubber Board, Ministry of Commerce and Industry, Government of India. He is the first person from Tripura to hold this prestigious position.

An alumnus of the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Kharagpur, Dr Ray completed his PhD in 2009 from the Centre for Ocean, River, Atmosphere and Land Sciences (CORAL), specialising in ecological niche modelling of rubber trees.

Before assuming charge as Director, Dr Ray served as the first Liaison Officer for the International Rubber Research and Development Board’s (IRRDB) Non-Traditional Areas Specialist Group, a role he continues to hold. The group works to strengthen collaboration among member countries and promote sustainable rubber cultivation in regions beyond traditional plantation zones.

Dr Ray’s research interests include plant nutrition, crop physiology, environmental stress, and the use of remote sensing and GIS in agriculture. His work has particularly focused on Hevea brasiliensis, the primary source of natural rubber, and his studies have been widely published in reputed international journals.

As part of his ongoing initiatives, a workshop on non-traditional rubber-growing regions is being planned in Tripura—India’s second-largest rubber-producing state—early next year to discuss strategies for sustainable expansion of rubber cultivation.

Dr Ray’s appointment has been widely hailed as a proud moment for Tripura and a recognition of his significant contributions to the field of rubber research.