Mawlamyine, 5 November
Border traders are no longer purchasing rubber from Mon State, causing the price to fall continuously amid the ongoing fighting in northern Shan State, rubber traders told Than Lwin Times.
Since October 27, border trade has come to a halt due to intense fighting between the junta army and ethnic armed forces in northern Shan State, which is the hub of China-Myanmar border trade.
The price of one pound of rubber in Mon State, where it is mainly produced, has dropped from around 1,800 kyats to 1,500 kyats.
A business owner who sells rubber said, “Due to the fighting, all the border trade routes that export have been closed, and the Chinese side is no longer buying rubber, so the price has fallen.”
Some rubber growers are currently attempting to export rubber by waterway, but they are having difficulty because of the high cost and delay in getting there.
A rubber trader told Than Lwin Times, “At a time when production costs are high, the price of rubber will fall again and the yield of rubber will be affected.”
At the start of this year’s rubber season, rubber growers are dealing with a shortage of skilled workers, high input prices, and now no buyers for rubber due to fighting.
In addition, the rubber plantations in Mon State have stopped tapping rubber in more than 100,000 acres of rubber plantations due to regional conflicts and instability.
Mon State has more than 500,000 acres of rubber plantations and produces more than 100,000 tons of rubber annually, earning millions of dollars from the rubber sector.
News – Than Lwin Times
Photo – TLT
Thanlwintimes