Sundried rubber selling well in Thaton Township

Rubber growers in Thuwunnawadi town, Thaton Township, Mon State sell the sundried rubber sheets at the harvest time instead of the ribbed smoked sheet due to the narrow price gap.
“The price between the ribbed smoked sheet (RSS) and the sundried rubber is relatively small for now. The input cost for RSS production is higher than the sundried rubber sheets. The labour cost for tapping latex is estimated at K95,000 for a rubber farm (300 plants). Four workers are required to collect the latex. Only when the rubber price does not decrease less than the current rate, will the farm owners do well,” said Daw Mee Nge, a farm owner working on a manageable skill in Winpa village.
“The sundried rubber sheet was priced K970 per pound while Ribbed Smoked Sheet (RSS) fetched K1,070 per pound in Mon State. About 15,000-20,000 pounds are daily traded”, said Daw Htar Shwe, an owner of Shwelatsaung rubber depot in Thuwunnawadi town.
The opening price of the rubber was only K800 per pound last year, whereas it climbed up to K1,000 per pound. The prices vary depending on the rubber quality and the different regions and states. The local rubber growers are asking for price stability in the market. They called for the authority concerned to govern the market.—Khun (Winpa)/GNLM