Hey guys I'm new to tv, was wondering if anyone here was into the buying transporting selling on the raw cup rubber business.

Reason for asking was that is what my wife does to make our income here in Thailand.

She started late last season and was making not a lot but a small profit most times.

We have a concrete area with a bamboo shade cloth roof at the front of our property, twice a month farmers bring their rubber in bags, leave over night, next day wife and her workers weigh it on scale and it's loaded on trucks, about 7- 9 tonne each time, farmers are paid, trucks and wife head off to company.

In between having it come to our place she also makes trips to other villages and buys and transports.

This season just seem to be loosing on most times

It's her business, I try not to interfere to much, but.

I was just interested if anybody else was doing this also,

Thanks for reading, any comments, advice, questions are most welcome Cheers

You might ask here. http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/467163-rubber-trees/

I'm not sure if anyone there is. Jim Collister used to IIRC, he said it was little reward for a lot of effort. We never sell at the gate, unless they pay enough that it's not worth the time to travel to the local depots. If we take about 300 mats, they pay us 200 baht for the diesel.

Rubber prices were moderately high so, this being Thailand, a lot of virgin forest was cleared to plant rubber. Big surprise, the price dropped and they complained and demanded subsidies or a guaranteed price.

James Collister is on facebook.

Thanks for replying, my Thai family have many trees and I've watched them tap for many seasons and take to a co-op, I guess you would call it, sit and wait till theirs is weighed and collect their money.

This is where my wife and I thought we could do this, we did watch, think, learn for about two years before we started.

I'll admitt I'm not the sharpest tool in the shed but I thought its a simple theory, buy low sell high cover your costs make a profit, but there is so many things out of your controll, the company's for example.

We arrive at company, join the queue ( sometimes can be up to eighty trucks waiting) we get weighed in, they unload then they decide what they will pay, we only get a % because we deal in the raw stuff.

Two trucks, same rubber from same farm from same area but get given a different % per truck,

Of course you can't say that's no good put it back on the truck and they won't grade it while it's on the truck anyway what would you do drive from company to company, I don't think so

I guess I was just in the hope of talking to another farang about his experience's with this biz

Again thanks for your reply's and taking the time to read

Rubber prices were moderately high so, this being Thailand, a lot of virgin forest was cleared to plant rubber. Big surprise, the price dropped and they complained and demanded subsidies or a guaranteed price.

James Collister is on facebook.

Also added to the problem is new competition. Ghana has started to harvest this year.

Sister in Law used to buy cup rubber, and let it dry for a week or so. Not pleasant for those down wind. ie us.

We have also done that as well, let it dry out, even for a couple of weeks.

Your right about the smell, also the flies.

We are on the out skirts of the village and house is far enough away for it not to be a problem.

You do get a better price for it, but you loose in weight

Dose your SIL still do it ?

What area are you in ?

We have also done that as well, let it dry out, even for a couple of weeks.

Your right about the smell, also the flies.

We are on the out skirts of the village and house is far enough away for it not to be a problem.

You do get a better price for it, but you loose in weight

Dose your SIL still do it ?

What area are you in ?

No, my wife's son in law was the driver and he got fed up of the cheaters. eg putting stones in to increase the weight. I'm in the sticks of Ranong.