Rubber Trees

[thaiguzzi]

Got 64 rai.

Bought the first 23 rai @ 9.5k per rai.

Bought 5 rai next to that plot @ 11k per rai. 

Bought 10 rai around 2 sides of my house @ 20k per rai.

Bought a further 26 rai next to this plot for 40k per rai the following year! People thought i was mad....

Being more specific with the season just gone and production. We had a lot of issues this year re labour. Good two team of tappers but unforeseen circumstances turned a lot of the year into 1:1 tapping days rather than 2:1, ie 2 on, 1 off.

#1 team is husband wife, she was heavily pregnant, and then gave birth a couple of months into the season - so only 1 tapper.

# 2 team is 2 brothers, one has a mrs who leaves him, so he's out for a month or two, then he comes back and the other brother breaks his ankle, on our land. Again only 1 tapper at any given time.

 So from July/Aug i had 2 people tapping 64 rai. They virtually lived on the land. 

1 day tap half, next day the other half. Basically a 1 day on, 1 day off system which equates to 7 taps a fortnight instead of 9.

I reckon we were 5-7k kgs down on the year due to these 2 missed taps a fortnight.

And we still tapped 1400 kgs more than ever before....

As i said - good workers....

[thoongfoned]

53 minutes ago, thaiguzzi said:

Got 64 rai.

Bought the first 23 rai @ 9.5k per rai.

Bought 5 rai next to that plot @ 11k per rai. 

Bought 10 rai around 2 sides of my house @ 20k per rai.

Bought a further 26 rai next to this plot for 40k per rai the following year! People thought i was mad....

Being more specific with the season just gone and production. We had a lot of issues this year re labour. Good two team of tappers but unforeseen circumstances turned a lot of the year into 1:1 tapping days rather than 2:1, ie 2 on, 1 off.

#1 team is husband wife, she was heavily pregnant, and then gave birth a couple of months into the season - so only 1 tapper.

# 2 team is 2 brothers, one has a mrs who leaves him, so he's out for a month or two, then he comes back and the other brother breaks his ankle, on our land. Again only 1 tapper at any given time.

 So from July/Aug i had 2 people tapping 64 rai. They virtually lived on the land. 

1 day tap half, next day the other half. Basically a 1 day on, 1 day off system which equates to 7 taps a fortnight instead of 9.

I reckon we were 5-7k kgs down on the year due to these 2 missed taps a fortnight.

And we still tapped 1400 kgs more than ever before....

As i said - good workers....

so looking at your investment in land/rubber vs state pension.......

my mum lived over here some years ago, she was not even averaging 30,000 bahts a month from uk single person state pension..... she would not tell me the private ones...

some ozi guys in the village are on around 30,000 bahts give or take from this or that from their state handout/pension......

[thaiguzzi]

Got another decade before my state pension, dude. And it will be the absolute minimum. No private stuff.

Rubber, and a small monthly UK stipend (less than 30k) is all we have.

The only money in the future will be an inheritence unfortunately....

[cobbler]

Lol you can forget ozies in future getting old age pension while living outside of Australia. Theyv changed the rules as of a few months ago. The rule now is $21k australian per year. AND if u live outside oz you need to return to oz every 90 days for the pension to continue. So forget it. Thiddll be a major game changer for those wishing to live abroard and receive a government pension.

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[thoongfoned]

3 hours ago, thaiguzzi said:

Got another decade before my state pension, dude. And it will be the absolute minimum. No private stuff.

Rubber, and a small monthly UK stipend (less than 30k) is all we have.

The only money in the future will be an inheritence unfortunately....

well, i stopped work in the uk in my late 20's, payed into private pension for 4/5 years, i think im intitled to 5 ish pounds amonth when the time comes....5555 dont expect much from the state either...

[thoongfoned]

12 minutes ago, cobbler said:

Lol you can forget ozies in future getting old age pension while living outside of Australia. Theyv changed the rules as of a few months ago. The rule now is $21k australian per year. AND if u live outside oz you need to return to oz every 90 days for the pension to continue. So forget it. Thiddll be a major game changer for those wishing to live abroard and receive a government pension.

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that dont sound good, the couple of guys i know have there arse hanging out their shorts with the old deal.....

[thoongfoned]

17 hours ago, thaiguzzi said:

Got another decade before my state pension, dude. And it will be the absolute minimum. No private stuff.

Rubber, and a small monthly UK stipend (less than 30k) is all we have.

The only money in the future will be an inheritence unfortunately....

some info on the pension. maybe know already but.....

i have friends who live and work in the usa, they still pay the min amount of national insurance back in the uk, under 500 pounds year, this will give them a full uk pension, i think national insurance of 35 years needed for max money,  and when they visit-holiday in the uk they use the dentist and hospitals-doctor just like when they lived there.

the gov website has all the info, register ect and you can see the amounts you have paid and an idea of how much pension payout ect.(not done this yet myself). so if you have x amount of years it could be worth you topping up every year to increase the payday, so to speak. this is something i will address before i get to much older.

[thaiguzzi]

21.80 baht per kg for cup at auction yesterday. We've stopped a while now, but others are still tapping.

[Mosha]

Just done the CI, and WP process for foreign workers. and in total 10,000 baht per person for 2 years. Took 4 visits into town, and almost a full day each time.

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[thaiguzzi]

Just opened one of our two plantations yesterday. The other one opens next week. 2-3 weeks earlier than the last few years.

[scotbeve]

Just opened one of our two plantations yesterday. The other one opens next week. 2-3 weeks earlier than the last few years.

We open our final one this year after the leaves come back out. 14 rai but still the <deleted> low prices in Fang, Mar Ai, & Chai Prakarn districts. Selling the whole lot of plantations (still!!!!) 125 rai. Made 50,000 baht profit last year on 100 + rai. Disgusted.

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[Mosha]

Kee Yang is about 17 baht down here.

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[farmerjo]

2 hours ago, scotbeve said:

We open our final one this year after the leaves come back out. 14 rai but still the <deleted> low prices in Fang, Mar Ai, & Chai Prakarn districts. Selling the whole lot of plantations (still!!!!) 125 rai. Made 50,000 baht profit last year on 100 + rai. Disgusted.

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You still running your harvesters you had a few years a go.

[scotbeve]

No mate. No more farm equipment. Got 10 rubber farms, the farmhouse, 3 shophouses, and the house we're living in near the city to sell. Then continue with the bucket list as time and sales go.

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[thaiguzzi]

4 hours ago, Mosha said:

Kee Yang is about 17 baht down here.

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Still 21ish round here @ auction.

5 hours ago, scotbeve said:

We open our final one this year after the leaves come back out. 14 rai but still the <deleted> low prices in Fang, Mar Ai, & Chai Prakarn districts. Selling the whole lot of plantations (still!!!!) 125 rai. Made 50,000 baht profit last year on 100 + rai. Disgusted.

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How come 50k profit on 100 rai?

After expenses we cleared 350k last season on 64 rai selling cup. 200k less than the previous season due to the prices.

[cobbler]

How come 50k profit on 100 rai?
After expenses we cleared 350k last season on 64 rai selling cup. 200k less than the previous season due to the prices.

I think it's possibly due to this. Yes he has 125 rai. Mike has 64 rai. All Mike's trees have been open for a few years now growing in production every year.
Scott has many trees still not open ,so making nothing but paying pui and grass cutting expenses. Also Scott has many trees only just open or in maybe 2nd year of tapping. So very little production yet,but still paying pui also.
Just my shitty opinion, feel free to correct me if I'm wrong.
Cheers cobbler

[scotbeve]

I think it's possibly due to this. Yes he has 125 rai. Mike has 64 rai. All Mike's trees have been open for a few years now growing in production every year.

Scott has many trees still not open ,so making nothing but paying pui and grass cutting expenses. Also Scott has many trees only just open or in maybe 2nd year of tapping. So very little production yet,but still paying pui also.

Just my shitty opinion, feel free to correct me if I'm wrong.

Cheers cobbler

Not really cobbler..... we staggered our planting over a 7 year period. The last "opening" was 2 years ago, then 3 yrs ago, and so on... The biggest downfalls for us in the upper north are the tapping season period. Had a lot of rain and a long leaf-less season. Total tapping period was 3.5 months (if that!). The 50K baht is in-hand money total. My friend, Krisada Boonrach is the present Secretary of Agriculture... Yes, I know (and he knows!!!) that he has no agriculture experience so.... with that in mind, plus this pacman "government", I can't see a silver lining in the cloud. Unfortunately, there is no good solution to these record low rubber prices. He did try to get some sort of pact going with 5 other rubber producing countries but that has since, been quiet or shelved. Oh.... and plus the fact that the buyers in town(s) have colluded with each other as to the very low prices. Lowest seen was 10 or 11 baht.

 

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[thaiguzzi]

56 minutes ago, scotbeve said:

and plus the fact that the buyers in town(s) have colluded with each other as to the very low prices. Lowest seen was 10 or 11 baht.

Just ridiculous. Outrageous. Ludicrous and disgusting.

[scotbeve]

Just ridiculous. Outrageous. Ludicrous and disgusting.

Isn't it just!!!!!!

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[professor plum]

I would like to know if anyone out there can give me an idea of how much 2300 rubber trees can pull in a year profit only as my trees are about to yield, i don't seem to be getting any information at this end, my trees are in the north eastern region if that's any help. Thank you.

[wijar]

On 15/04/2018 at 8:29 AM, professor plum said:

I would like to know if anyone out there can give me an idea of how much 2300 rubber trees can pull in a year profit only as my trees are about to yield, i don't seem to be getting any information at this end, my trees are in the north eastern region if that's any help. Thank you.

There only a few variables to establish that; Soil condition, Tree age, girth, fertilizers used, weather, temperature, tappers ability to make a clean cut, rest/tap cycle. So if you can just make a stab at those and then guess each trees production it should be relatively easy to work out your profit. oh don’t forget how you share the value of your sales with the tappers, and who then pays for the fertilizer and its distribution.

Peaced of cake really. Hourly rate as a mechanic is better by the way!??????

[thaiguzzi]

On 4/15/2018 at 8:29 AM, professor plum said:

I would like to know if anyone out there can give me an idea of how much 2300 rubber trees can pull in a year profit only as my trees are about to yield, i don't seem to be getting any information at this end, my trees are in the north eastern region if that's any help. Thank you.

# Read the last few pages, maybe 10-15 pages, all the info you recquire is in there some place, as i, finally, spent some time going thru my books and posting the relevant information.

# Just got back to LOS after a few weeks family holiday in the UK.

  Had two auction sales for cup whilst we were away, very wet for this time of year, and typically hot, so production not great.

24/4, 22.11 baht per kg

8/5, 25.03 baht per kg.

 

[thaiguzzi]

Sold cup at auction yesterday, 25.61 baht per kg.

[thaiguzzi]

Sold cup at auction yesterday, 24.77 baht per kg.

[thaiguzzi]

Goin' down. Goin' south...

Sold cup at auction yesterday, 22.53 baht per kg.

Absolute horrific production lately - just a ridiculous rainy season so far this year.

[grollies]

Same here, first sale this season was only two weeks ago, got B23/kg. Fortunately the rain has stopped for the last few days and the tappers are busy at it.

 

Tappers really suffering the prices though. Had to lend them B3,000 for kid starting school plus other expenses. 

 

Rubber nuts starting to pop, dogs love em.

[Goanna]

We have a 9 rai farm with 600 x RRIM 600 trees. The tappers say the bark is hard to cut, and the production appears to be low. Also, there is quite a bit of bark cracking. The trees have been cut now four years, so are probably 10 years old or so. People are telling us that the condition of the trees is due to previous cutters using the growth regulator ETHEPHON.

This is concerning, as I just discovered today that the cutters on our other farm of 14 rai, are using it on those trees. Last season was the first cut, and the trees are very clean and healthy. Some friends have suspected this, as they say production is too high. It returns 420kg/ 9 day cycle for the 800 opened trees. I have not confronted the cutters yet, as I just saw it today, but tomorrow they will cut and sell, and I will talk to them then. Last year, averaged 350 odd kg.

 

I have researched this till the cows come home, and buggered if I can find anything on the net about the effect on trees. All sites suggest no problem.  Have any of you guys any experience with this?

 

 

[thaiguzzi]

Stop it immediately.

Sack any staff that use an additive to the tapping panel.

Natural and chemical fertilizers only put into the ground on a plantation.

Nothing on the tree as it is tapped.

Another 2-3 or 3-4 years and they will just stop producing. Period.

Those production figures are way high for a rainy season period of 800 trees.

Short time gain = long term pain.

[Goanna]

Thanks for the quick response. I will take the wife to deal with it after the sale. Otherwise, they take very good care of the farm. They clear out all of the fallen branches, and in general keep the place very tidy. Husband and wife team. Not related luckily.

Hopefully a warning will suffice. They should have asked permission to do this in the first place. Thanks again.

[thaiguzzi]

6 hours ago, Goanna said:

Thanks for the quick response. I will take the wife to deal with it after the sale. Otherwise, they take very good care of the farm. They clear out all of the fallen branches, and in general keep the place very tidy. Husband and wife team. Not related luckily.

Hopefully a warning will suffice. They should have asked permission to do this in the first place. Thanks again.

Yeah, i agree. A verbal warning - your land, your trees, make them understand you are in it for the long haul and you expressly forbid any un-natural growth hormone/chemicals to induce extra latex for a short term gain.

If they are good workers they deserve another chance.

Similar happened to us a few years ago, a green instead of a pink additive, added to the blade, but because the workers  (husband/wife team) were'nt sympathetic (woman was a bit of a loon, bloke just not that trustworthy), we got rid of them sharpish, especially as they denied the green stuff on the tap was from them!