Taking care of the rubber plantation to prepare for the new season.

Following the 2024 rubber latex harvest, the market price for rubber latex remained high, fluctuating above 41 million VND/ton. Rubber growers in 2024 made high profits and were very pleased. Therefore, in preparation for the 2025 tapping season, rubber growers are busy tending their plantations to ensure the rubber trees yield even more latex...

Rising prices for many agricultural products such as pepper, coffee, and cashew nuts are benefiting farmers, and rubber latex is also among the "high-priced" commodities, so growers are willing to invest. Mr. Nguyen Son, from Lac Hoa neighborhood, Lac Tanh town, who owns about 4 hectares of rubber trees, said: "In previous years, rubber latex prices were low, and revenue wasn't enough to cover expenses, so most rubber growers only fertilized sparingly to maintain the trees' health. Last year, rubber prices were high from the beginning of the season, so many people took better care of their orchards... At this time, rubber trees are shedding new leaves and flowering, so they are very susceptible to fungal diseases. If we don't spray pesticides to protect the trees, they will become exhausted when they get sick. So many growers are focusing on spraying pesticides and waiting for the rain to fertilize the trees in order to harvest the latex."

According to Mr. Nguyen Binh from Gia Huynh commune, Tanh Linh district, who has nearly 30 years of experience in rubber cultivation, rubber farmers will profit at a market price of 28-30 million VND/ton. If the price rises to 41-45 million VND/ton in October 2024, rubber farmers will reap substantial profits. Some experts believe that this year, the global economic situation is volatile, and industries related to rubber latex production are facing shortages due to some countries in the region cutting down rubber trees to invest in durian and other crops, leading to increased export orders. Therefore, rubber latex prices will fluctuate unpredictably. In Tanh Linh and Duc Linh districts, rubber farmers, after several unsuccessful seasons due to misjudging the market, are now facing losses when prices rise sharply. Currently, with rubber latex prices increasing for two consecutive years, fewer people are abandoning their plantations. The current experience of rubber farmers is to focus on tending their plantations. When latex prices are low, they invest cautiously. Due to the high price of fertilizers, many farmers have switched to using manure, reducing costs and stabilizing soil quality. This year, however, many are not hesitant to invest in their rubber plantations. Some households with a few acres focus on tending those few acres, while others with 5-10 hectares are spending hundreds of millions of dong on spraying pesticides and fertilizing to boost the trees and increase latex yield and quality.

Although it's currently the off-season for tapping rubber trees to shed their leaves, many rubber plantations are bustling with activity as farmers use machines to spray pesticides on their trees. In the Tánh Linh, Đức Linh, and parts of Hàm Thuận Bắc districts, rubber is a key crop, so many people closely monitor developments in the domestic and international rubber latex markets. Rubber trees require less care than some other crops; however, if they are not properly cared for and invested in, the yield of latex during harvest will fall short in both quality and quantity.

The entire province has approximately 45,000 hectares of rubber plantations, with Duc Linh and Tanh Linh districts accounting for more than two-thirds of the area, of which Tanh Linh has nearly 22,000 hectares. Rubber is currently the main source of income for many households, so many people hope that in 2025 the price of rubber latex will increase or equal the price of 2024 to ensure good profits...

Source: https://baobinhthuan.com.vn/cham-care-vuon-cao-su-don-vu-moi-128811.html