Bangladesh is a fertile land and it has good prospects for the rubber sector. According to the Bangladesh Rubber Board, a total of 67,939 tonnes of raw rubber were grown last year, up 58 per cent from 43,000 tonnes in 2021. Growers put the size of the local raw rubber market at Tk 10.20 billion. This rising production is benefitting both producers and processors. Rising rubber production in the country is helping local tyre manufacturers to reduce their dependency on imports of the product used in making bicycles, motorcycles, three-wheelers and easy bikes. However, there is an acute shortage of rubber processing factories in the country. And for this, the latex or sap of rubber farmers is wasted most of the time. At least one factory near every rubber plantation can relieve us of this problem. Besides, our farmers cannot do tapping properly. And they do not have quality equipment and training.
The farmers sometimes allege that they cannot yield as much latex as they expect. The Bangladesh Forest Research Institute (BFRI) has, however, recently discovered three rubber tree varieties that can yield three times more than the planted ones. The growth of these rubber trees is also faster than other varieties. The field research has showed no sign of disease in these verities of rubber trees. If planted, these varieties of rubber trees can act as a game-changer for us. Research is also important for this industry. With this new possibility, our rubber industry can create more employment and export opportunities.
Aadriana Mohin Aadri,
Student of Department of Finance and Marketing,
School of Business and Economics,
North South University, Dhaka,
aadrianamohin@gmail.com