The Department of Agriculture (DA) has set aside a 7.48-hectare property in the Zamboanga Peninsula for the research and development requirements of the Philippine Rubber Research Institute (PRRI) as part of efforts to boost the country’s rubber production.
The PRRI said the five-year Philippine Rubber Industry Roadmap ending in 2028 acknowledges the domestic industry as the 13th largest in the world and that domestic production immediately before the program totaled 109,000 metric tons.
The agency said most rubber exports are produced in Mindanao and where 98 percent of the 234,600 hectares planted to rubber in 2022 are located.
According to the DA, Philippine rubber and rubber-product exports dropped in 2022 to only USD278.2 million from USD578.3 million in 2021 as most processing and manufacturing were closed due to COVID-19 mobility restrictions.
“The challenge for the PRRI is to actively push for development programs and projects to support the 700,000 rubber growers in the country,” said DA Secretary Francisco Tiu Laurel Jr.
The challenges notwithstanding, the agri chief is optimistic of the industry’s prospects.
“Only when the PRRI succeeds in these initiatives can it ensure a rubber industry that is dynamic, innovative and self-sufficient,” Tiu Laurel said.
Philippine Statistics Authority data show the production of 378,818.13 metric tons of coagulated cup lumps of rubber in 2023, an 8.9 percent drop from 2022’s 415,749.65 MT.
