Over 7,000 tons of rubber used for road construction in Thailand

BANGKOK, July 25 (TNA) - The Department of Rural Roads, under the Thai Ministry of Transport, reports that it has used over 7,000 tons of natural rubber for the construction and repair of rural roads nationwide in 2017 alone, totally worth 358.61 million baht. The department's Director-General Phisak Chitwiriyawasin, told journalists of the update on Tuesday, noting that his department has used natural rubber for the construction and repair of rural roads since 2013. Phisak said that his department has used more than 22,600 tons of raw rubber latex for the construction and repair of rural roads over the past four years, worth over 1.13 billion baht. According to the senior official, some 5 per cent of natural rubber latex has been found to be an appropriate proportion to be mixed with cement and asphalt for the construction and repair of each road project. In 2017 alone, the senior official elaborated, about 7,172 tons of locally-produced raw rubber latex, worth 358.61 million baht, has been used in almost 600 rural road construction and repair projects so far. The senior official acknowledged that natural rubber helps strengthen the surface of the roads, prolong the road service and reduce state budgets on road construction and repair, while also assisting local rubber growers to earn more income and containing rubber prices on the domestic market to be stable. The senior official revealed that his department plans to use about 7,530 tons of raw rubber latex next year, worth nearly 392 million baht, for the construction and repair or more rural roads. (TNA)