UNCONVENTIONAL WORLD RECORDS

The world is experiencing an incredible surge in rubber prices.

It’s indeed good news for rubber smallholders in Thailand, Indonesia and of course Malaysia, who together produces 90% of the world’s natural rubber.

Check out the daily rubber price list update by the Malaysian Rubber Board (Lembaga Getah Malaysia). Compare prices on different dates. The difference is phenomenal, the growth breathtaking. International rubber price updates (including KL prices) are available at an Indian-based website.
This has never happened before, at least not in the last 40 years.

What a big contrast to the crisis of 1974, where smallholders in Baling, Kedah demonstrated against falling prices.

Consider this price difference from a few years ago to today:

• scrap: 30 sen/kilo to RM3/kilo
• “getah kepingan”: now RM7.50/kilo, projected bullish to RM10/kilo

Rubber smallholders used to be able to earn, daily, RM50 to RM80, now can get up to RM200 per shift (2 shifts per day). That means, weekly (Mon-Fri only): RM1600, and monthly: >RM6000.

Shift 1: 7-11am, can produce up to 50 kg
Shift 2: afternoon

And all these on smallholdings: 2 acre rubber plantations

Why the increase?

- China’s expanding economy

- increase in crude oil prices drove synthetic rubber prices up

No wonder my my cousin and her husband have “offered” to work on our 7-acre rubber plantation, which have stood neglected ever since the Great Fire of 1998 (El Nino).
Perhaps it’s a good idea to join them on weekends, and what better time than the coming long holidays to have a feel of what it’s like to be close to a rubber tree, mosquitoes etc after a long hiatus?