YALA, 18 Jan 2015 – Rubber growers affected by the falling rubber price have worked out ways to survive the sluggish state of the industry by selling rubber saplings at weekend markets.
A number of rubber farmers, who previously sold rubber saplings for 15-20 baht each, have decided to offer a big discount on their goods, by selling them for as little as 10 baht each. Some of them admitted that the loss-making rubber industry had prompted them to turn to roadside and weekend markets as places to get rid of their excess saplings despite lower prices.
Although the low rubber prices have pushed down production costs, rubber producers disclosed that the dramatic drop in income had indeed deprived them of the motivation to pursue the rubber business. Some revealed that the retail price of their saplings had now dropped by 50 percent.
