Nation’s rubber acreage to increase to 700,000 ha

Vietnam ’s rubber-growing acreage is to be expanded to 700,000 hectares by 2010, up from the current acreage of 522,000 hectares. The additional land will include 100,000 ha in the Central Highlands and 15,000 ha each in the southeastern region, the central region and the northwestern region.*

These figures were announced at a conference to review 10 years of implementation of the Prime Minister’s decision 84/TTg, which provided a roadmap for the development of Vietnam ’s rubber plantations and rubber industry.

Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development Cao Duc Phat said that revenue from rubber exports averaged 1.5 billion USD per year during the past decade and are expected to hit 1.7 billion USD this year.

In addition to its economic value, rubber plantations have generated huge social benefits in providing stable employment for thousands of highlanders, ethnic minorities and those living in mountainous regions, Minister Phat said.

While agreeing to the plan to increase rubber-growing acreage to 700,000 ha, Minister Phat, however, proposed reconsidering the 2010 deadline for the fulfillment of the plan and suggested replacing ageing rubber trees with new varietals to encourage higher yields.

He stressed the need to assess any possible environmental impacts as well as closely monitoring the shift from natural forests to rubber farms. “Economic value and environmental protection are required while developing rubber plantations,” Minister Phat said.

He also pointed to the need to support individual growers with plant breeds and advanced farming techniques to maximise the efficiency of rubber plantations. Representatives from the central highlands provinces of Gia Lai, Dak Lak, and Dak Nong spoke of legal issues and concerns relating to environmental protection that arose during the process of turning forests into rubber plantations.

They asked the Government and the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development to address those issues and remove any obstacles that may hinder this work so that the plan to increase the nation’s rubber-growing acreage to 700,000 ha could be achieved with the minimum of problems.

(Nguon tin: VNA)