Mawlamyine, September, (17)
Mon State’s rubber production may decline further due to the increased prices of inputs and restrictions imposed by the military council after the coup, the rubber growers told Than Lwin Times.
Mon State produces more than 100,000 tons of rubber every year and mainly exports it to China.
However, after the military takeover, the cost of basic supplies like fertilizer and acid has increased by almost four times, and farmers are now dealing with high general costs.
A rubber businessman said that due to the increase in the prices of inputs, rubber farmers will not be able to fully apply fertilizers in this year’s rubber season, and rubber production may decrease by at least 25 percent.
On the other hand, the military council’s curfew made it difficult for workers to tap rubber, and the majority of the skilled workers emigrated to other nations, creating a labor shortage.
A rubber entrepreneur said, “The rubber industry is suffering due to the decline of the Myanmar currency and the increase in the price of inputs’.
Therefore, the majority of rubber farms may shut their business without tapping the latex in the upcoming rubber season if the price of rubber does not grow as much as expected.
Mon State has over 500,000 acres of rubber plantation, and the industry generates millions of dollars each year.
However, Mon State’s rubber industry, like other industries, is suffering the effects of the military coup.
News- Than Lwin Times