The price of rubber has gone up in Mon State, with one pound of RSS-3 [Ribbed Smoked Sheets 3] costing 990 Kyat as of December 1.
The current price for a thick rubber sheet is between 700 to 770 Kyat per pound, and the thin rubber-sheet type costs 800 to 995 Kyat.
“The price of rubber today is 995 Kyat. The price given is dependent on the quality of the rubber. If the rubber is good, the price will be good. If the rubber is very wet, although it is a type of RSS-3, the price will only be 800 Kyat. Thick rubber costs 700-770 Kyat while the thin can be from 800 to 900 Kyat,” said U Thura, manager of Pushin Rubber Trading Factory, in Mudon Township.
“Our rubber price goes up because China’s economic market surges and our rubber market relies on the Chinese market,” said Nai Kyan Yit, chairman of Mon State Rubber Cultivation Association.
Nai Kyan Yit added that according to a business person from Singapore speaking at a workshop in Dawei Town, the price of rubber will continue to increase until 2020. In 2017, the price may increase up to 2000 Kyat per pound.
“There is only an 80 [Kyat] difference in price between the thick and thin [rubber]. After it is dried, the price will be the same as the thick. If the price is a 130 Kyat difference, it’s better to produce thin rubber,” said U Wanna Htaw, a rubber plantation owner from Thanbyuzayat Township.
Rubber trading and procurement centers assert that Thailand produced the most rubber globally. However, after the rubber price went down, the Thai government suggested to its people to cut down the rubber trees and replace them with other valuable trees. Now, the rubber price goes up as there is less rubber production in Thailand. Still, some said that the rubber price would surge as the country’s currency, the Kyat, dives, and as the world stock market climbs.
