Rubber Trees

[thaiguzzi]

Glenn;

that's 2250 trees, not 2350 trees, my mistake. If you're in Bung Khan, you may know my English mate Robin. He's doing 2000 kilos wet cup per fortnight during the rainy season, and a bunch more obviously in the cool season. Similar aged trees, just lots more.

Mike.

[cobbler]

Go back a few pages to see what Jim is saying about smoking the rubber.

hi brother r u know harvest of rrim 3001 at thailand now ? the harvest can more then rrim 600 ?

What the.Somebody wanna do an english translation on this????????????/

Leave my brother alone

Sorry cousin

[Birdman]

just starting with 14 rai this year and later 18 rai next to the 14 rai in 1 or 2 years. My question is, is it normal to build a place at the plantation for the workers to stay and sleep for that size of land?

[cobbler]

just starting with 14 rai this year and later 18 rai next to the 14 rai in 1 or 2 years. My question is, is it normal to build a place at the plantation for the workers to stay and sleep for that size of land?

If the workers have no place else to stay,it is.You may have to try to get a worker from a neighbouring farm to cut your farm.As you will find 14 rai is not enough trees for a worker to survive on and so they wont stay.Next year you will be ok with the other 18 rai being opened .So your total of 32 rai will be enough for the worker to stay

[Mosha]

just starting with 14 rai this year and later 18 rai next to the 14 rai in 1 or 2 years. My question is, is it normal to build a place at the plantation for the workers to stay and sleep for that size of land?

Note, a place to live covers a wide variety of descriptions. From a shack to a proper house.

[Birdman]

Thank you for the answers. Is one worker enough for 14 rai? Thought, there should be 2?

Also wondering, a 32 rubber farm is a rather lower medium sized farm and here in Trat there are also smaller farms. So does everyone has own workers and own producing and storing facilities? What is someone doeing, who owns 6 rubber rais?

[Mosha]

Depends how good they are. Our guy does 800 trees, sometimes she is with him. He also has time to cut 500 trees on my wife's daughters plot. The land is quite steep too.

Smaller plots of 6 Rai, I'd guess they are family plots.

[David006]

Glenn;

that's 2250 trees, not 2350 trees, my mistake. If you're in Bung Khan, you may know my English mate Robin. He's doing 2000 kilos wet cup per fortnight during the rainy season, and a bunch more obviously in the cool season. Similar aged trees, just lots more.

Mike.

Glenn: is this Ban Kan , South of Krabi or someplace else?

[glennb6]

David, Buengkan or Bungkan province, 2 hrs to the right of Nongkai, right along the Mekong river

[cobbler]

Thank you for the answers. Is one worker enough for 14 rai? Thought, there should be 2?

Also wondering, a 32 rubber farm is a rather lower medium sized farm and here in Trat there are also smaller farms. So does everyone has own workers and own producing and storing facilities? What is someone doeing, who owns 6 rubber rais?

1 worker is enough for 14 rai'.The question you need to ask is''Is 14 rai enough for 1 worker to live''???

I don't think a worker will stay there long.He will use your land untill he finds a bigger farm to work on and make more money

No offence ,just being honest

[Birdman]

do you mean in the first years or generally? Appr. how much does a worker earn? 40-50% of the sale price?

[Mosha]

How much they earn depends on a few things, Tapping days, price, clone - some make more latex than others.

ie I was talking to a guy the other day, a fellow expat. He was telling me how he'd got it all figured out. 2 or 3 days on 1 off, and a 9 month tapping season. I told him that figure was way too high. I'm a cup half empty kind of guy with rubber lol. So he looked surprised. I pointed out Leaf drop time all 2 months, U then mentioned the rain, he'd only allowed 3 months on that. In Ranong! not a cat in hells chance try 5 months . I said reckon on 120 days allowing for rest days. If you give the tapper 50% make him share on the feed costs, otherwise it's 40%

[cobbler]

do you mean in the first years or generally? Appr. how much does a worker earn? 40-50% of the sale price?

In the 1st year definately,not enough.2nd year maybe.Be CArefull if a worker accepts the job.Because the only way he can survive on only 14 rai of new yang is steal from you.

Generally here in this area its 40% to worker if worker is making sheet or mats.

If making kee yang in early stages of the trees being cut,then it's 50%for the worker.

If making mats,the worker asks for 50%,it's coz he's trying to conn you or ,the money just isn't enough for them to survive

Basic shed is enough for accomodation.Remember ,most of these people come from nothing,have nothing,.If you spoil them,they wont thank you .No ,they will leave if have a better deal elsewhere.You ,ha ,you will be out of pocket.

[Birdman]

sorry my ignorance, can you appr, I know that depends, say how much at the moment the price would be for rubber produced out of 14 rai. People say this and that. I bought the 32 chanote rai 2005/2006 in Muang Trat and since then the land price skyrocket. There were potential buyers from BKK who wanted to invest in land on the coast and farms. We could have sold the farms with 400% profit, but I rather trust in rubber production as a good long term investment....

[Mosha]

How old are the trees. Starting at around 6 years the trees will produce more up to 10 years I believe. What clone are the trees? We are tapping 800 trees and are getting about 27kg/day in RSS, the trees are 8 or 9 years old. Prices at the moment are a sore point with us.

[cobbler]

sorry my ignorance, can you appr, I know that depends, say how much at the moment the price would be for rubber produced out of 14 rai. People say this and that. I bought the 32 chanote rai 2005/2006 in Muang Trat and since then the land price skyrocket. There were potential buyers from BKK who wanted to invest in land on the coast and farms. We could have sold the farms with 400% profit, but I rather trust in rubber production as a good long term investment....

If you can sell it for 400% profit .Sell it,it will take you years to make that sort of money by tapping the trees.Have people who do very nicely buying and selling land.Each time they sell ,they make 200K bhat profit every 6 months.You wont make that kind of money off 14 rrai every 6 months.

Not trying to tell you what to do but its an idea to put with your other ideas

[cobbler]

do you mean in the first years or generally? Appr. how much does a worker earn? 40-50% of the sale price?

generally

[Mosha]

Just got in from Abhisit's visit. He only had to mention rubber, and they were his lol. It would have gone even better if he knew what the government buyers are paying.

[cobbler]

Just got in from Abhisit's visit. He only had to mention rubber, and they were his lol. It would have gone even better if he knew what the government buyers are paying.

I don't care what they are paying,just get them out

Abhisit's gov at least had 180 baht per kilo.never mind the politics and reasons and excuses.Just give us a decent price,not 1 for the mates and shit for the rest

[cobbler]

Settle yourselves in for this same shit pricing for the rest of this year at least.Maybe even until this gov is finished in another 3 years.Or maybe they'll give us an ok price for there last year in office so that dumbshits will vote them in again.Then we can go around in the same circle for another 4 years

It'll be interesting to see just how dumb some of the voters are in certain areas of this country.

[Mosha]

Nice day/evening here. Our guy tapped. Skies opened again at 3:00 am

[jamescollister]

More meetings between the big 3 rubber countries, seems they can't agree on a minimum price.

Also the curb on rubber exports will not come into effect until October.

Not going to make much difference, not had a full tap for 6 days [rain ] 2 plantations have gone over to cup.

Wonder if I should return the big SUV now or wait till October. Time for beer I think. Jim

[Mosha]

More meetings between the big 3 rubber countries, seems they can't agree on a minimum price.

Also the curb on rubber exports will not come into effect until October.

Not going to make much difference, not had a full tap for 6 days [rain ] 2 plantations have gone over to cup.

Wonder if I should return the big SUV now or wait till October. Time for beer I think. Jim

I'll join you 555

[fezzy]

Called the big local rubber buyer in our area and was told 70 baht for sun dried sheets today.

[Mosha]

Nice day/evening here. Our guy tapped. Skies opened again at 3:00 am

Not as bad as I feared. only 50 trees cut when the rain started. The 3:00 AM rain woke me up. I am so watching the clouds waiting the NW monsoon to kick in. It's a short one on the Andaman side.

[jamescollister]

Called the big local rubber buyer in our area and was told 70 baht for sun dried sheets today.

Trouble is buyers are quoting prices to get you there, but not paying when you rock up. Have people saying we buy 90 Baht RSS, more than the wholesale auction price.

Sellers pack up truck loads, go to sell and are told their rubber is grade 5, 50 Baht a kilo.

Until you see the cash in your hand don't believe a word. Jim

[Mosha]

Called the big local rubber buyer in our area and was told 70 baht for sun dried sheets today.

In addition to what Jim said. What are the local buyers offering? Do not trust the government buyers.

[jamescollister]

Called the big local rubber buyer in our area and was told 70 baht for sun dried sheets today.

In addition to what Jim said. What are the local buyers offering? Do not trust the government buyers.

You have to remember that a lot of rubber is sold on contract. The sale price was set at the start of the year. No one has yet defaulted on these contracts [ yet. ] So the big players are raking in a lot of extra cash, if they can buy cheap and sell at the contract price set at the beginning of the season. We the small provider don't sell on a preset contract, we just get the going rate for the day.

The Thai Government made a deal to supply China at 100 Baht a kilo, the Chinese have not defaulted, so the Government is getting it's 100 Baht a kilo still.

The rich get rich and the rest of us just get by. Jim

[gregj69]

Hello Yall,

I am Yannick From Ivory COast, the largest rubber producer in Africa.

I have around 57ha of rubber that are planted 600 trees/ha that will come into production next year. Therefore, I have been thinkin about manufacturing my production for export.

Do you have any knowledge on how to produce SMR-10 SMR-5 and SMR-20?

Also, Jim after watching your video, what did you make? RSS-1? RSS-2 or RSS-3?

I need your inputs please all of you

Hi there,

When you make sheet you hope all will be RSS 1, but some are better than others ergo different grades. As for making SMR , called in Thailand TSR you need a processing plant. You will need a lot of money to buy one, best to buy a turn key factory from China. Years ago I looked at the idea and contacted a company from China and asked how much for a factory that would produce one metric ton a day. Was told the smallest they made were one and a half tons an hour. Big money . Jim

Hello Jim

My wife and I are buying some rubber farms in Loie at the moment and I was looking at setting up a small processing factory. Not sure yet whether to go with making TSR or RSS using our produce when we start to tap and buying off the neighbours. The key factors I have looked at are:

1/ Cup lump appears to be easier, especially when you get rain which I believe ruins the fresh latex.

2/ Current farm prices (and presumed not going up for some time) of cup lump (41 baht per kilo versus 71 baht for the fresh). It seems the market price for the two are around 83 - TSR & 87 - RSS3 so if we are buying off the locals there seems to be a much larger margin in cup lump to TSR.

3/ Amount of investment for the two setups. To make RSS, I have no idea yet how much it will cost us to handle up to 1 ton/day. One of the propertie is producing around 360 kgs every 3 days of cup lump without any ferlizing the last 3 years and the other will probably produce similar being first time tapping on 8 yr trees ( we have just given them their first feed for years.

I have tried to contact some machinery manufacturers and they are quoting around USD$280,000 for an RSS setup with just advise on building a smoking shack (way more than I can afford). That is without building the sheds. I imagine supply of electricity would be an issue as 3 phase is usually not available in the bush.

Do you have some idea of what machinery I need for either and where to get it at a reasonable price. I am trying to balance my outlay with efficient production of those quantities. May have to start much smaller and see how it goes.

Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

Cheers

Greg

P.S. you can PM me if it is easier to email direct or you want me to phone.

[thaiguzzi]

Re; prices -

Just sold at government auction for wet cup yesterday, Udon Thani, Ampur Ban Dung, 644 kgs @41.10 baht per kilo.

Regards,

Mike.