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Welcome to the Thai Riviera on the Gulf of Siam
Rubber Plantations along the Gulf of Siam
Today more than 1000 different plants are known in the tropics which produce sap, that can be used for making rubber. By far the most important one, is the Para rubbertree from the Amazon valley, that reaches a height of up to 30 m. The tree grows best with a year round temperature of 27º C and a yearly rainfall of over 2000 mm. During the dry season it looses its leaves, the flowers open together with the new leaves shortly after. The fruits open with a loud crack.
To keep the rubber monopoly to Brasil the export of any part of the tree was strictly forbidden during the 19th century. In 1877, 70000 seeds were smuggled to Britain and grown in Kew Botanical Garden close to London. Since 1878 the trees were grown in the British colony Malaya, from where the Gouvernor of Trang Province introduced them to Thailand in 1901. The first Para rubbertree ever grown in Thailand is still standing in front of the Gouvernor's house in Kantang.
At the age of 6-7 years the tree is big enough to cut the bark. This is done by the light of a carbide lamp before sunrise. The milky white sap runs into coconut halfes or pottery and is collected during the forenoon. It is mixed with fornic acid in flat tubs and after becoming solid it is rolled between two cylinders giving it the shape of a small mat.
Most often the mats hang on bamboo poles in front of the houses to dry. During this process the color changes from white to light or dark brown. The dried mats are bought by middlemen and delivered to factorys, where car tires and single-use gloves are produced. For that purpose sulphur is added to obtain soft (4-5% sulphur) or hard rubber (25-30% sulphur). This vulcanisation process was already invented by Charles Goodyear in 1839. With 1.5 Million tons Thailand is the world's biggest producer of rubber. Together with Indonesia and Malaysia 75% of the world's demand is produced by the 3 countries. Main markets are the USA, Germany, Italy, Great Britain, Japan and South Korea. After 25-30 years the trees are exhausted and cut. They are used for furniture or burnt to charcoal. On the cleared area new trees are planted.
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