Networks of rubber farmers in the Northeast have threatened a counter-boycott against Sri Trang Agro-Industry Plc following the rubber exporter giant’s threat to stop buying rubber from farmers in the region because of low quality.
They would also discourage farmers from buying tyres from Michelin and Bridgestone.
Veerasak Sinthuwong, a key member of the Network of Thai Rubber Farmers, said on Friday that leading members of the rubber farmers networks in 20 northeastern provinces would launch a campaign urging growers to stop selling cup lumps to Sri Trang Agro-Industry Plc .
The move follows the firm’s recent statements that rubber from the region was poor quality because farmers add sulphuric during the latex tapping process, which reduces the rubber's flexibility.
There were several other rubber producers willing to buy cup lumps from the Northeast, Mr Veerasak said.
The boycott would continue if Sri Trang Agro-Industry Plc failed to explain why it had held a press conference to complain about rubber products from the region, bypassing rubber-related organisations, he said.
The networks in 20 provinces would also ask farmers not to buy tyres from Michelin and Bridgestone tyremakers.
Mr Veerasak said cup lumps accounted for 80% of rubber produced in the Northeast and the remaining 20% was latex. Most cup lumps were processed in the form of STR20 rubber that was exported mainly to China. This type of rubber was later processed into other products, not tyres.
He explained that farmers use sulphuric acid when collecting latex during the rainy season to make it coagulate more quickly, otherwise the latex would be damaged if rainwater contaminated it.
Rubber cup lumps. (Photo: WikiMedia Commons Dreamstimes)