Rubber growers support plan to use para rubber in road construction

NAKHON SI THAMMARAT, July 13 (TNA) - Rubber growers in Nakhon Si Thammarat support the government’s plan to use para rubber in road construction to tackle falling prices of para rubber. Wisut Suchada, president of the network of para rubber growers institute in Nakhon Si Thammarat submitted a letter to the Prime Minister through Sakhon Chantharak, deputy governor of Nakhon Si Thammarat to propose solutions to sagging rubber prices. He said rubber growers realized that they needed to participate in solving the problem. They do not call for the government to buy their para rubbers at higher prices than those in the market as it is not a sustainable solution and will cause more problems in the long term, he said. They proposed that the government boost para rubber use in road construction by adding about five per cent of para rubber in asphalt mixes. He said it will help increase use of para rubber by 100,000 tonnes per year. When para rubber supplies decrease, its prices will rise and it will be more sustainable solution for para rubber growers. The network also called for the government to buy para rubber from the Farmers Institute through an Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) for road construction. (TNA)