More rubber to be used in chemroads

BANGKOK, July 13(TNA) -The Thai Ministry of Agriculture and Cooperatives is following up a plan on promoting more use of natural rubber for the construction of chemroads and the production of various products to raise rubber prices and income of local growers. Thai Agriculture and Cooperatives Minister General Chatchai Sarikulya told journalists of the move on July 12, after a meeting of relevant agencies. General Chatchai noted that the move is in accordance with a recent order issued by Thai Prime Minister General Prayut Chan-ocha, assigning all government agencies to support more use of locally-grown rubber. General Chatchai said so far, agencies under his ministry, as well as those under the Ministries of Defence, Transport, Education, Natural Resources and Environment, Public Health, Tourism and Sports and Interior have reported on their plans to use natural rubber, including latex and dried rubber sheets, totally worth about 16.93 billion baht. The minister revealed that he has also assigned all relevant agencies to study on using more natural rubber for the construction of chemroads to boost domestic consumption of natural rubber. According to the minister, an experiment conducted by his ministry's Royal Irrigation Department has found that a one-kilometer distance of a chemroad needs up to 18 tons of natural rubber as a component. Meanwhile, the Rubber Authority of Thailand (RAT) also reported on a plan to use more natural rubber in local construction and irrigation projects. (TNA)