Malankara Plantations Ltd.

THE Company was registered on 22nd June 1910 under the Travancore Joint Stock Companies Act at a time when Joint Stock Companies were very few in number, under the name Malankara Rubber & Produce Co Ltd. It was the First Indian owned Rubber Plantation Company when Rubber planting and cultivation was a novelty. The Founder and Joint Managing Director of the Company Mr P John had initially set up a successful Oil Mill in Alapuzha. He represented Alapuzha in the Shree Moolam Praja Sabha and was also elected unopposed to the Legislative Council of Travancore. He was also a member of the Cochin Port Trust, Chairman of the Alapuzha Chamber of Commerce and Member of the Travancore Development Committee (Travancore Dharma Pariposhana Committee). His enterprising spirit led him to Rubber planting and cultivation. He procured Rubber Seeds from Srilanka (Ceylon) with great difficulty and planted Kaliyar Estate in Thodupuzha in partnership with his brothers in 1905. This estate was sold to one of the British Plantation Companies. Thereafter Malankara Estate was planted when this Company was floated in 1910. Among the notable Directors of the Company was Mr KC Mammen Mappilai, Editor, Malayala Manorama, Kottayam, who was also its Company Secretary for the first 4 years and continued to be a Director for 14 years. He helped to guide the administration of the Company when very few knew the legal requirements of Company Management and gave wide publicity in the Malayala Manorama about the prospects of Rubber Plantations to encourage people to invest in the shares of the Company. The other Directors were Rev CP Philipose Kassessa, Manager of Syrian Christian High School, Tiruvalla & Secretary to His Grace The Marthoma Syrian Metropolitan, Mr John Chandy, Superintendent, CMS Press, Kottayam, Mr S Ramaswamy Iyer, Bank of Madras, Alapuzha, Mr S Parameswaran Pillai BA BL, Arakkal House, Kadappra, Thiruvalla and Mr KV Chacko BA LT, MD Seminary, Kottayam.
At about the same time, Mr P John in partnership with his brothers opened up Karimkulam Tea Estate on the banks of the Periyar River in Elappara. Karimtharuvi Tea Estate was started in partnership with Mr GH Davey, Imperial Bank of India, on the opposite bank of the Periyar River in 1915. Penshurst Estate, which was the first Tea Estate in South India and planted in 1875 was purchased by Mr P Kurian John in 1943 and it was later purchased by Karimtharuvi Tea Estates Ltd in 1953. Karimtharuvi Tea Estates Ltd was merged with Malankara Rubber & Produce Co Ltd and the name of the Company was changed to Malankara Plantations Ltd in 2002. Malankara Estate and Karimtharuvi Estate were some of the very few Rubber and Tea Plantations owned and opened by Indians at that time.
The Company was under the Managing Agency of M/s John Sons' Estates & Agencies (P) Ltd from 1953.

Welcome to Malankara Plantations Ltd.,Kottayam,Kerala