JPLT planted since 2002 rubber trees on 600 hectares in Talakag, Bukidnon to supply raw rubber its Laguna factory which requires rubber production from a minimum of 2,000 hectares to be able to become economically viable.

While it is not known how much investment JPLT is allocating for the additional rubber planting, rubber consultant Arturo M. Sanvictores, also president of natural rubber producer Apsons Inc., indicated that maintenance and tapping (harvest of rubber) of a 12-year old rubber farm will require P28,772 per hectare to produce rubber latex.

Rubber latex production brings a 52.13 percent return on investment and a net income of P19,806 per hectare given the costs. Maintenance expense of P8,100 per hectare includes cost for brushing, P1,000; fertilization (labor and fertilizer), P4,800; and pest control (labor and chemical), P2,300.

Tapping expense of P28,772 per hectare includes P17,340 for tappers’ share; equipment and materials, P11,100; and incidental expenses, P3,654.

The Philippines has tremendous potential to become a major rubber exporter as it earned million from the export of 36,889 metric tons (MT) or .51-million worth of natural rubber as crepe sheets in 2004 and 6,416 MT of natural rubber in plates worth .98 million

Its export markets are China, Taiwan, Malaysia, and Singapore. Other rubber products are exported to Japan, European Community, US, Australia, South Korea, Hong Kong, and Middle East.

There are markets for new products such as rubberized coir mattress and pots where there are only two big manufacturers in the world which are found in China and Taiwan. Both countries import both natural rubber and the coir from raw material producers like the Philippines.

The need for the combination of raw materials rubber and coconut coir makes the prospects highly-attractive for the Philippines to upgrade its processing capabilities.

The rubber and coir mixed materials are made into resilient, aerated beddings, upholstery, furniture, and for erosion control. The unique coconutfiber-natural rubber blend also has applications in flat and molded basket liners, horticulture, shoes soles, packaging, and filtration.

"This has much demand because of its environmentally friendly nature of being recyclable and biodegradable," said Sanvictores.

China requires at least 200 MT of bailed fiber per month for rubberized plants while the US, Europe, and Australia are good markets for plant liners and coco-peat garden growers.

From the rubber trees in forests, the rubber material or latex is maintained on its liquid form by adding preservatives and is collected daily in buckets and sent to the factory for dry rubber content (DRC) test.

A centrifuge processes the latex that passes standard DRC test so as to separate the concentrated latex from the skim. Before shipping these out for intended markets in Japan, the concentrated latex is stabilized using chemical salts and is allowed to mature in steel or plastic tanks.

For the Philippines to thrive in the rubber industry, the government needs to establish regulatory processes in establishing a nursery which should include accreditation to impose quality control on seedlings.

Technical services to farmers in the rubber production area and provision of credit to farmers for their planting of food crops or cash crops for them to sustain their daily needs while waiting for rubber to mature in five to six years.