P14-M rubber processing plant to rise in ComVal province

DAVAO CITY, July 9 – The first-ever rubber processing plant in Davao region will soon rise in Compostela Valley Province.   

As Davao region is expanding its rubber production, the Department of Agriculture’s Mindanao Rural Development Program (DA-MRDP) and the provincial government of ComVal province are set to put up a P14.93 million crumb rubber processing plant in Laak town.

“The project is among the big-ticket projects of MRDP to support the production and marketing capability of the region as it gears to increase rubber production,” said MRDP program director Lealyn A. Ramos.

Laak town has a total of 2,581.42 hectares planted to rubber where 2000 hectares are already productive. While the province has a total of 6,210 hectares planted to rubber.

In terms of marketing and processing, rubber farmers and consolidators here bring their rubber cup lumps or latex to Makilala town or Kidapawan City in North Cotabato, a five-hour drive away from ComVal.

“We boost rubber production since aside from being a climate change mitigating crop, it is a viable source of income,” Ramos said.

“On top of the existing areas, the program and the DA in Davao region are assisting other group of farmers in expanding the areas planted to rubber trees,” she stated.

Along with MRDP, the project is implemented in partnership with the DA regional office, the local governments both at the provincial and the municipal level and the people’s organization (PO) cooperator.

MRDP has put in P8 million; the provincial government, P2 million; the municipal government, P1.9 million while the DA-High Value Crop Development Program P250,000.00.

The PO cooperator, Laak Multi-Purpose Cooperative (LAMPCO) has also put in a P2.75 million as their equity.

The fund will be used for the fabrication, acquisition and installation of equipment and machineries which will include 3 units of creper/macerators and accessories, hydraulic baling press and accessories, electrical controls, 1 unit 500 KW generator set, 1 unit weighing scale and the construction of  the processing plant with floor area measuring 54 x 14 square meters.

The plant will be erected in the 1 hectare lot owned by LAMPCO in barangay Mangloy.

According to their feasibility study, the rubber processing plant is designed with a 15-ton per day rated capacity expected to produce high quality semi-processed natural crumb rubber SPR20.

This type of semi-processed rubber is mostly used by tires and footwear manufacturers both in domestic and export markets.

“The facility is expected to improve the consistency and standard of the plasticity retention index (PRI) properties of natural crumb rubber products and increase the value of the coagulated rubber latex,” Ramos noted.

Data from agribusiness and marketing assistance division of Davao region revealed that region 9 and region 12 are the top 2 producers of rubber in the country. In Davao region the top producers of rubber crumb are ComVal province, Mati City in Davao Oriental and Malita in Davao del Sur.  (DA-MRDP/Sherwin B. Manual)