|
23rd July, 2008
KOTA KINABALU: Buoyant rubber prices in the international market is not just good news to smallholders but also owners of estates who at one time considered converting the areas into oil palm plantations.
Several of them in Kota Belud and Tuaran admitted that they were almost about to replant their land with oil palm but the recent surge in rubber prices persuaded them to do otherwise.
Prices of rubber reached RM5.70 a kilo since a week ago due to the increasing worldwide demand for natural rubber.
“In the past there was only once that rubber prices got up to RM5 per kilo before plunging to RM3 per kilo. At that time, we thought there was no future for rubber and oil palm was the choice because it reached far better prices,” said a rubber estate owner.
Meanwhile, Deputy Chief Minister, Datuk Yahya Hussin assured that the government would not in any way “bring down” the price of rubber because it was determined by global market forces.
Instead, he predicted that prices for the commodity would continue to soar.
Sabah exports rubber to the United States, Brazil, Europe, China, Australia, Japan, South Korea, Taiwan and New Zealand.
A local company that processes latex from the Sabah Rubber Industry Board reported that it exported 2,625.6 metric tonne worth RM22.74 million last June.
|
