Rubber Tree Plantation Overview

When rubber plantations were first introduced to Phuket, they covered an estimated 40% of the island. Now, with the tourist industry booming and buildings being constructed more frequently, the number of plantations are decreasing heavily.

The first rubber trees were planted in Thailand after Phraya Ratsadanupradit Mahison Phakdi visited Malaysia and saw the opportunity to start a new income of plantations. This then developed across the whole of Thailand and is now imperative for its economy.

It takes on average around 6 years for a plantation to develop to its optimum latex production. Which is basically when the sap is coming out of the tree is the most it can. Size also matters for this. Not only does the Rubber industry receive its economy from selling rubber, but also from tours of the plantations. This is good for the industry, as it teaches tourists about the process and sometimes inspires them to continue the profession.

The rubber that the farms produce are put into sheets and then sold to factories. The factories then put the rubber into smoke houses so that the produce is ready to be sold. The produce is then manufactured into items such as tyres, erasers, rubber bands,etc. The items are then sold to the public for our everyday uses.