Enhancing the Sustainability of Rubber Plantations

in Peninsular Malaysia
CHAN WENG HOONG and ONG TEE SAN
APPLIED AGRICULTURAL RESEARCH
Nov 2000

Introduction
At the Seminar on Low Intensity Tapping Systems (LITS), Chandran (1998) painted a
bleak future for the rubber industry. Many plantation companies have been
converting their rubber to oil palms over the past one to two decades resulting in rapid
decline in the rubber estate hectarage. (Table 1).

Table 1 : Ha. of Rubber under Estates ('000) - P. Malaysia

Year
1980 1990 1995 1996 1997 1998
491 342 249 217 195 177

Source: Statistics on Commodities 1999 - Ministry of Primary Industry

Many companies have in fact scheduled for complete conversion of their rubber areas
to oil palms by 2002 (Abdul Hamid, personal communications, 2000).

In addition to much higher profit from oil palms as the main incentive, many of the
above companies which have given up on rubber are probably also high cost
producers ( Table 2.)

Table 2 : Average FOB Cost of Production of SMR (sen per kg)

Year
1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998
235.35 246.87 281.83 300.3 300.18 297.6

Yield level = 1400 kg/ha/year

All Estates under MAPA affiliated Companies

Source: MRPC, 1999.

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 Some companies however have managed to obtain reasonable returns from their
rubber areas by achieving higher yields (Table 3).

Table 3: Comparison of Yield per ha (kg)

Source: Year
1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000

National 1334 1340 1335 1248 1204 1120 1250 1260 1224 - -
(estates)
MAPA 1415 1427 1414 1350 1352 1386 1412 - - - -
estates
Estate grp 1592 1521 1367 1574 1516 1627 1613 1546 1520 1748 1600
- KLK

At an average price of 345 sen per kg rubber and an yield of around 1,600 kg/ha,
estate group KLK obtained a profit of around RM 1,550/ha.

Chandran (1998) compared a return of RM3,200/ha for oil palms at a yield level of
22.5 tons/FFB/ha and sale price of RM1,250 per ton CPO which easily exceeded the
profit from the above well managed rubber estate group. Price of CPO has however
fallen to below RM 800/- per ton currently and for the same statistics given above, the
economics would change fairly significantly.

Notwithstanding the current comparative scenario between rubber and oil palm, some
companies have significant areas which are less suitable for cultivation of oil palms
e.g. marginal soils and low rainfall areas which may ideally be planted with other
crops such as rubber.

Some companies may also wish to have a small proportion of crop mix, with rubber
as the other crop especially for areas where labour may still be readily available eg. in
Kelantan in Peninsula Malaysia.

For such companies, the challenges would be to overcome / minimise the main
drawbacks of rubber which are already well known but are recapitulated below for
ease of reference.

o Long period of immaturity

o Shortage of tappers
o Stagnating yields resulting in inadequate returns for both the estate and tapper.
o non- equitable price of rubberwood to the estate.

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1. Overcoming the Long Period of Immaturity

In a survey on performance of clones planted in a large plantation group, Chan (1989)

found that average period of immaturity of the clones (with girth of 45 cm) ranged
from 61 to 82 months. Among the more vigorous and high yielding clone, PB260
attained maturity in 62 months. The hectarage of PB260 continued to be expanded in
the group.

In a more recent study of PB260 planted commercially, Chan (1997) noted that the
period of immaturity had reduced, ranging from 52 to 60 probably as a result of
improved agronomic practices undertaken by the Group.

Ong et al. (1997) achieved an even shorter period of immaturity of 48 months for
PB260 in his trial by planting thick legumes, practising EFB mulching, increased
fertiliser rates and controlled pruning to enhance growth of trees.

Further improvement in growth was noted when RRIM released results on

performance of their RRIM2000 series clones (Table 4). Girth of RRIM2000 series
clones ranged from 6% to 25% better than PB260 at the 5th year after planting.
Immature period of the RRIM 2000 series is likely to be shorter than for PB260. Girth
of the RRIM2000 series clones was even more impressive during maturity, exceeding
PB260 by 11% to 91% at the 15th year.

Early results from a commercial trial on the RRIM2000 series clones laid down in
1999 also showed early similar growth trend as reported by the RRIM.( Table 5 ).

2. Overcoming Shortage of Labour for tapping

The main contentions for the shortage of tappers are probably

o. the stagnating yield per tapping resulting in non-competitive wages to tappers

o. the high labour required for tapping on the conventional tapping systems

Table 6 shows that yield per tapping has not increased much over the years and as a
consequence, has not significantly raised income of tappers.

At the current cost of living, a minimum daily earning of RM25-RM30 may be

considered equitable. Table 7 shows that tasks must provide an average yield of
between 30-40 kg to enable tappers to earn the above wage levels.

Currently, rubber is tapped mainly on ½S d3 on basal panels and 1/4S d3 upwards or

2 ½ S d4 on high panels. These systems require muchlabour which is currently in
short supply.

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 Current technology on the use of low intensity tapping systems (LITS), novel systems
of stimulation and enlarged task size with short cuts may enable tappers to attain the
aforementioned yield levels and simultaneously reduce requirement for tappers. The
proverbial 'killing two birds with one stone' may even be achieved.

2.1 LITS - Low Intensity Tapping Systems

Use of LITS to increase tapper`s yield and consequently increased tapper's wages, and
also to reduce tapper requirement has been thoroughly discussed at the Seminar on
LITS in 1998. The main draw-back of some of the less intensive systems e.g. d/6 is
the low yield per ha which does not augur well for estate profitability.

Table 8 shows that for the precocious clone PB260, a fairly satisfactory yield per ha
may be obtained on d/5 frequency of tapping.

For slow starter clones, eg. PB217, a higher tapping frequency, d/3 may be required to
obtain acceptable yield per ha (Table 9).

2.2 Enlarged Task Size

On PB260, tapping on the reduced 1/3 S on third daily frequency with mild
stimulation gave 25% higher yield/tapper, albeit marginally lower yield per ha than
1/2S d3 control (Table 10). An important advantage of the short 1/3S cut is the
availability of an additional panel on the basal panel which could prolong tapping
lifespan by about 6 years.

2.3 Use of Novel Stimulation Practices

2.3.1 Esigel (amended ethephon stimulation)

Groove / lace application of ethephon is still the simplest method of application of stimulant.
Ong (personal communications, 2000) estimated that the RRIMFLOW technique entails 5-6
times more labour than the groove/lace technique of stimulation.
Esigel (amended ethephon) increased yield by about 12% compared with normal ethephon
(Table 11).

2.3.2 RRIMFLOW (direct ethylene gas stimulation)

RRIMFLOW is the most potent form of stimulation, using the direct application of ethylene
gas.

On panel HO1, increase in yield per tapper and yield per ha from RRIMFlOW on short cut
1/8S ranged from 53% to 333% and 35% to 57% respectively, (Table 12) indicating potency
of the stimulation system compared with ethephon stimulation.

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On panel BO2, yield per tapper on very short cuts ranged from 64.0 kg to 107 kg (Table 13).
Yield per ha was also satisfactory.

Lifespan of trees can also be prolonged from tapping of short cuts on RRIMFLOW.

Cost of implementing RRIMFLOW (equipment, gassing and maintenance) however is high at

±RM2.50/tree per year. Ong (personal communications, 2000) computed a break-even yield
of 350 kg/ha/year for the system. On the basis of Yew et al's (1998) findings, use of
RRIMFLOW is still highly profitable. Ong (personal communications, 2000) however
cautioned that preliminary results from his trials indicated that yield responses from
RRIMFLOW may be lower than reported by Yew et al. (1998). The main disadvantage of
RRIMFLOW is the large amount of labour required to install and maintain the system.
Further work is still required to further refine the system (Ong, personal communications,
2000).

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3. Overcoming Stagnating Yields

The previous Table 3 on yield profile indicated that yields had not shown much
improvement over the last 10 years. Mean national estate yield had even declined
from around 1,330 kg/ha in 1990 to around 1,224 kg/ha in 1998. MAPA affiliated
estates gave mean yield of around 1,400 kg/ha/year for most of the period reviewed.
The more progressive estate group K showed yields of around 1,600 kg/ha/year.

Apart from seemingly better management, constant upgrading to higher yielding

clones from the late 1970’s onwards, may have enabled estate group KLK to maintain
its leadership status among rubber plantation companies despite the decreasing
availability of labour. Chan (1997) reported that the high yielding PB260 occupied
28.0% of the total hectarage of estate group K as at 1996. However, the fact that
PB260 continued to be the main clone replanted into the mid 1990s also meant that
higher yielding clones than PB260 had not been forthcoming.

The launching of the RRIM2000 series clones by RRIM in the mid 1990s (Ramli et
al., 1995) drew some mild excitement to say the least, among die-hard rubber
enthusiasts at a time when plantation companies were felling their immature rubber
for replanting with oil palm. Promises of very high yields based on small scale trials
were communicated to the industry.

Mean yield increase on panel BO1 of the RRIM2000 series clones over PB260 ranged
from 37% to 75% (Table 14). Coupled with the markedly higher latex yield potential,
yield of timber from the RRIM2000 series clones was also markedly higher (Table
15).

4. Overcoming the non – equitable Price of Rubberwood

Despite the importance of the raw material in servicing the multibillion ringgit rubberwood
downstream industry (RM3.8 billion in 1998, after Mohd Noor Ghani,1999), price of
rubberwood offered to estates has rarely exceeded RM 3,500 per ha. at the time of replanting
(RRIM, 1995). It would be very timely for rubber estate owners / rubber smallholder
associations to integrate both their upstream and downstream activities (sawmilling,
furniture manufacturing, chipboard, parquet etc.) to enhance profitability of their
rubber stands. With the markedly higher timber yields from the RRIM2000 series clones,
the returns from rubberwood could in the near future be worth as much, if not more than the
latex extracted from the trees. Partnerships with existing furniture companies could be a first
step towards integration.

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Discussion

The revenue of rubber estates depends primarily on the yield potential of the clones planted
and the ability to transmute the potential into reality. Rubber has been on the decline since
two to three decades ago due mainly to inadequate yields and increasing labour constraints,
resulting in unsatisfactory profits for many estate owners.

In the present context of waning interest in rubber, the potential 'saviours' of rubber estates, if
not the rubber industry, appear to be:-

• the RRIM 2000 series clones

• the RRIMFLOW system

The basic tenet of sustainability, if not survival of the rubber industry appears to largely
depend on the promises of the RRIM2000 series :-

a. to provide the high yield per ha for adequate profitability to estate owners to reinvest in
rubber.

b. to provide the high yield per tapping for equitable wages to tappers which may also lure
them to continue to work in the estate.

c. to shorten the gestation period of rubber through vigorous growth of the clones.

d. to defray the high cost of replanting from the high timber yield at the end of the
productive cycle.

The RRIMFLOW system complements the RRIM2000 series clones by providing the
instrument for extraction of the high latex yield potential of these clones and also prolong
lifespan of trees with use of short cuts. The longer lifespan would imply lower expenditure on
replanting and simultaneously higher return for the estate as the percentage of unproductive
land (under immaturity) would reduce (Chan,1985).

All other practices / innovations mentioned earlier for enhancing the sustainability of rubber
appear ancillary to the RRIM2000 series clones and RRIMFLOW.

However for existing stands of rubber, the LITS, enlarged task size and use of amended
ethephon (Esigel) could be gainfully implemented on panels BO1 and BO2 where
RRIMFLOW may not be recommended currently. Yew (personal communications, 2000) has
indicated that incidence of tree dryness can be high (10-20%) on panel BO2 based on results
of his more recent trials on RRIMFLOW. On panels HO1 and old rubber, RRIMFLOW
should be installed, notwithstanding the reported difficulties encountered with the system, in
order to boost crop extraction.

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Much commitment is required from estate management to ensure successful implementation
of RRIMFLOW, particularly in maintaining the system leak-free and also regular gassing of
the trees.

Estate owners / smallholder associations must also integrate with downstream activities to
add value to their raw rubber produce and to rubberwood - especially with the high timber
yield from the RRIM 2000 series clones.

Conclusion

There appears to be some 'light at the end of the tunnel' for die-hard rubber planters in the
form of the RRIM2000 series clones and RRIMFLOW.

Estates should replant with the RRIM2000 series clones. The RRIMFLOW system should
also be installed on old trees.

For the longer term, MRB should concentrate on breeding for new clones to constantly
upgrade clones for the industry.

MRB should also work on improving the installation and maintenance of the RRIMFLOW
system to make the technique more labour friendly.

___

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

The Authors wish to thank AAR Sdn Bhd for permission to present this paper. Thanks are also due to
Dr Soh Aik Chin, Head of Agricultural Research, AAR Sdn Bhd, for his useful comments on the
paper.

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 References

1. CHAN WENG HOONG (1985). A speculative look at an extended productive life cycle for Hevea. The
Planter KL (61) 1985.

2. CHAN WENG HOONG (1989). Commercial performance of clones planted in the last 15 years in a large
group of rubber estates. In the proceedings of the Rubber Growers Conference, 1989. Rubber Growers
Association of Malaysia, Kuala Lumpur. pp. 36-52

3. RAMLI, O; NAJIB, LA; ONG, SH; OTHMAN H.; MASAHULING B; MOHD GHOUSE W; MOHD ZAIN
AA; ZARAVI AG and MOHD NOOR AG (1995). Potential Hevea Genotypes for Timber Production, Proc.
Rubb. Growers Conf. Kuala Lumpur 1995.

4. RUBBER RESEARCH INSTITUTE (1995). Rubberwood prices - Summary MRPC, Kuala Lumpur. 1995.

5. Kuala Lumpur Kepong Annual Reports 1995-1999

6. CHAN WENG HOONG (1997). Performance of Clone PB260 in a Large Plantation Group in Peninsular
Malaysia. The Planter, Kuala Lumpur, 73 (857) 1997.

7. ONG, TS.; CHAN WH and HEH, WY (1997). Towards Maximising Growth of Young Rubber with
Improved Planting Materials and Agronomic Practices - Proc. International Planters Conf. Kuala Lumpur, 1997

8. M R Chandran (1998). Critical Need to Enhance Yield and Labour Output to Assure Sustainability of Rubber
in P. Malaysia. Seminar on Low Intensity Tapping Systems (LITS), LGM, Sungei Buloh, Selangor.

9. YEW FOONG KHEONG (1998). RRIMFLOW System of Exploitation Recent Improvements and Update on
Yield Performance. Seminar on Low Intensity Tapping Systems (LITS) LGM, Sungei Buloh, Selangor.

10. MASAHULING, B (1998). Performance of RRIM2000 series clones. Hand-out notes distributed during
field visit to RRIM Sg. Buloh, 1998.

10. MALAYSIAN RUBBER PRODUCERS COUNCIL Annual Reports 1997-99.

12. MOHD NOOR ABDUL GHANI (1999). Top Down Priority Areas in Rubber from a Commercial
Perspective. IRPA Workshop on Rubber Agro - Industry, RRIM Sungai Buloh, Selangor, 1999.

13. MINISTRY OF PRIMARY INDUSTRY (1999). Statistics on Commodities, 1999

14. ONG TEE SAN (2000). Personal Communications, Sungei Buloh, 2000

15. YEW FOONG KEONG (2000). Personal communications, Sungei Buloh, 2000.

16. ABDUL HAMID MOHAMED (2000). Personal Communications, Kuala Lumpur, 2000.

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Table 4: Comparative Girths (cm) of RRIM2000 series clones
(after Ramli Othman et al. 1995, Masahuling 1998.)

Clone Girth (cm) - after planting

5 yrs (at opening) (%) 15 yrs (%)

1st selection
RRIM2001 53.4 (106) 87 (118)
RRIM2002 52.9 (105) 96 (129)
PB260 (control) 50.6 (100) 68 (100)

1st selection
RRIM2008 60.0 (125) 113 (127)
2009 54.1 (112) 108 (123)
2014 57.7 (120) 106 (120)
2015 56.9 (118) 98 (111)
2016 53.1 (110) 104 (118)
2020 56.2 (117) 92 (103)
PB260 (control) 48.1 (100) 89 (100)

2nd selection
RRIM2023 53.1 (107) 91 (123)
2024 55.3 (111) 110 (149)
PB260 (Control) 49.8 (100) 74 (100)
RRIM2025 47.4 (106) 139 (191)
2026 52.7 (118) 101 (139)
PB260 (Control) 44.6 (100) 73 (100)

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 Table 5: Girth of RRIM2000 series clones at 10 months after planting
- Kuala Hau Estate

Girth (cm)
Clone at 170 cm from the ground (%)
RRIM 2023 6.15 (127)
2024 5.85 (121)
2026 5.65 (116)
2014 5.60 (115)
2001 5.45 (112)
2025 5.40 (111)
2002 5.40 (111)
2020 5.40 (111)
2010 5.10 (105)
2015 4.95 (102)
2008 4.70 (97)
2009 4.60 (95)
PB260 Control 4.85 (100)

Table 6 : Yield per tapping (kg) 1988 - 96

Year : 1988 1989 1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996
Yield > 20.9 19.7 20.7 21.7 21.3 22.0 23.3 23.2 23.4
Source: MRPC, 1997.

Table 7 : Earnings based on yield obtained at rubber price range 280-300 sen/kg
(NUPW / MAPA Agreement – 1999)

Yield Earnings
per tapping (kg) (RM)
45 32.00
40 29.60
35 27.20
30 24.75
25 22.30

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 Table 8 : Low Intensity Tapping with Stimulation on Panel BO1
of 1988 PB260 over 3 years (Mean of 3 trials)

Treatment kg/tapper/year ( %) kg/ha/year (%)

1. 1/2Sd5 + 6x2.5% ET 36.3 (123) 1,648 (106)
2. 1/2 Sd4 Control 29.6 (100) 1,555 (100)

Table 9 : Low Intensity System on Panel BO1 of 1988 PB217 over 3 years.

Treatment kg/tapper/year (%) kg/ha/year (%)

1/2 Sd3 Control 22.6 (100) 1,666 (100)
1/2 Sd3 + 6 X 1.25% ET 25.6 (114) 1,896 (114)
1/2 Sd4 + 6 x 1.25% ET 26.0 (115) 1,432 (86)

Table 10 : Yield on enlarged task size on Panel BO1 of 1988 PB260 over 2 years

Tapping System Task Size kg/tapper/year (%) kg/ha/year(%)

1/3Sd3 + 6 x 1.5% ET 750 36.8 (125) 1,937 (98)
1/2Sd3 Control 600 29.4 (100) 1,977 (100)

Table 11: Comparison of Esigel (amended ethephon) with normal Ethephon

on Panel BO1 of 1988 PB260 over 3 years. (Mean of 3 trials)

Treatment kg/ha/year (%)

1. 1/2Sd5 + 6 x 2.5% Esigel 1,740 (112)
2. 1/2Sd5 + 6 x 2.5% normal Ethephon 1,554 (100)

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Table 12: RRIMFLOW - Yield on Panel HO1 (after Yew et al., 1998)

Clone Period Exploitation kg/tapper/yr kg/ha/yr (%)

(months) System (%)
1. PR261 30 1/2 Sd2 + ET 19.9 (100) 1311 (100)
↑1/8 Sd4 + RF 66.3 (333) 1912 (146)
2. PB260 24 ↑ 1/4Sd3 + ET 43.7 (100) 1238 (100)
↑ 1/8 Sd3 + RF 66.7 (153) 1672 (135)
3. GT1 48 ↑ 1/4Sd3 + ET 26.6 (100) 1542 (100)
↑ 1/8 Sd3 + RF 59.7 (225) 2400 (156)
4. PR107 48 ↑ 1/4 Sd3 + ET 24.1 (100) 1265 (100)
↑ 1/8 Sd3 + RF 56.8 (236) 1981 (157)

Table 13: RRIMFLOW on Panel BO2. (after Yew et al., 1998)

Clone Period Tapping kg/tapper/yr kg/ha/yr

(month) System
PB217 32 1/8 Sd/4 71.6 1677
RRIM600 32 2.5 cm d/4 64.2 1494
PR261 31 5.0 cm d/4 107 2045

Table 14: Yields of some RRIM2000 series clones on Panel BO1 (after Ramli et al., 1995)

Year
Clone 1 2 3 4 5 Mean
(%)
RRIM2001 1695 2048 4568 2561 3376 2850 (175)
2008 1512 2321 2955 3506 3135 2686 (165)
2016 2173 2499 2938 2946 2369 2582 (158)
2020 1691 1860 2526 2517 2564 2232 (137)
2024 1509 2802 2828 3482 3158 2756 (168)
2025 1921 2915 3174 2793 2967 2754 (168)
PB 260* 1140 1522 1791 1868 1837 1631 (100)
* Commercial

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Table 15 : Timber Yields of some RRIM2000 series clones. (after Ramli et al., 1995)

Total Wood
Clone Age Volume
(years) m3/tree
RRIM 2001 14 1.23
2008 14 1.32
2016 14 1.28
2020 14 1.00
2024 14 1.26
2025 14 1.87
PB 260 20 1.29

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