History of Rubber
Ever since the beginning of commercial cultivation of natural rubber (NR) in India during the early 20th century, the planters in Travancore, Cochin and Malabar regions in Southern India had been experiencing the necessity for research on problems of rubber planting and upkeep. Initially, the scientific department of the United Planters' Association of Southern India (UPASI) was largely responsible for the initiative in research on rubber. On their request, the Madras Government appointed a scientific officer in 1909 to strengthen research activities on rubber. Subsequently, experiment stations were established in Mundakayam, Thenmalai and Moopley for addressing agronomic and mycological problems concerning rubber. Consequent to the rubber slump and falling revenue of rubber estates, Thenmalai and Moopley experiment stations were closed down in 1926 and the Mundakayam station in 1932. Since then, for over two decades, the Indian rubber plantation industry had been without any organised research support.

When the Indian Rubber Board was established on the 19th April 1947 to look after the rubber plantation industry in the country, its functions as defined under the Rubber Act, 1947 included the development of the NR industry by devising suitable promotional measures, undertaking scientific, technological and economic research etc. Even after the establishment of the Rubber Board, there were only two scientific officers namely, the Rubber Production Commissioner (RPC) and a Field Officer, and their work confined mainly to advisory services and distribution of selected planting materials.

The importance of research on rubber was recognised by the Rubber Board as early as in 1949, when the Board in its sixth meeting had resolved that it should establish its own research stations at suitable places in the plantation districts of Travancore - Cochin. This meeting approved the appointment of Sri. K.N. Kaimal as the Rubber Production Commissioner. As per the request of the Rubber Board, the Indian Tariff Board which was entrusted by the Government of India in 1950 with the task of examining the cost of production of raw rubber and determining the fair price of various grades, was asked to examine the different aspects of protection necessary for the speedy development of the industry. The Tariff Board in its report dated 28th March 1951 recommended establishment of an All India Rubber Research Institute on a scale comparable to the existing research organisations in the main rubber producing countries. The scheme included the appointment of a Director, Rubber Production Commissioner, Rubber Chemist, Botanist, Pathologist, Soil Chemist and a few Assistant Chemists, Assistant Pathologists etc.

On the request of the Government of India, the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) examined the recommendations of the Tariff Board and rejected the scheme as out of proportion with the requirements and suggested for a small laboratory and essential staff (Pathologist, Junior chemist and Junior Botanist) to investigate local problems. ICAR also recommended the establishment of a 100 acre experiment station and also an isolated seed garden of 15 acres for the production of high yielding seeds. The Rubber Board also rejected the Tariff Board's proposals as unsuitable for the requirement and being beyond its resources. The Tariff Commission, in their report dated 27th October 1952 recommended for the implementation of the revised scheme as suggested by the ICAR for the proposed research station.

Meanwhile the Rubber Board on 27th March 1954 approved a research scheme prepared by the Rubber Production Commissioner for the establishment of a Rubber Research Institute with an Experiment Station, with a financial outlay of Rs.10 lakhs and the Government approved the same in June 1954. According to the scheme, the new Institute was to have four research divisions namely, Agronomy, Botany, Pathology and Chemistry. Each Division was to have a research officer and a research assistant and a small experiment station for field experiments. A beginning was made in 1955 by establishing the Institute at the rented premises of Ancheril Buildings of the Rubber Board in Kottayam town with a temporary laboratory. The foundation stone of the Rubber Research Institute of India (RRII) building was laid on 4th February 1956 in the suburbs of Kottayam.

During the early years, RRII had only three divisions namely, Agronomy, Botany and Pathology. Agronomy and Botany divisions had senior officers only for short periods. Due to lack of enough laboratory space and supporting staff, the Rubber Research Scheme 1954 could not be implemented fully. The Agronomy and Botany Divisions collected data pertaining to the response of clones to manuring and locations respectively. Subsequently the different Divisions were transferred to the RRI building in 1962, when its construction was completed. The Chemistry and Rubber Technology (C&RT) Division started functioning with the appointment of a Deputy Director on 1st June 1963. Other senior officers of C&RT and Agronomy Divisions were also appointed during June 1963.

The Publicity Section of the Administration Department and the Extension Wing of the Development Department of the Rubber Board were put under the control of the Director in 1964. The Library functioning under the Administration Department since its beginning was also transferred to the administrative control of the Director from 1st June 1964.

The Economic Research unit, which was functioning as part of the RRII since 1968 and later as part of the Rubber Production (RP) and Rubber Processing Departments, became the Agricultural Economics Division of the RRII in September 1986. In 1976, the Biochemistry unit functioning under the C&RT Division was transferred to the Plant Physiology unit of the Botany Division. The full-fledged Plant Physiology and Exploitation Division started functioning in 1978 and the Biotechnology Division in December 1985. The C&RT Division was renamed as Rubber Chemistry, Physics and Technology (RCPT) Division in 1986. The Germplasm Division was established in February 1989 and the posts created in the Botany Division during 1978 for germplasm work were transferred to the new Division.

When the research component of the World Bank Project was implemented in 1994, the organization set up of RRII has been changed with the creation of 28 new posts under the scheme.