Thread: Rubber trees 101

This looks like a ray of sunshine at long last for you long suffering rubber farmers up here in the North East Foreigners buying directly from rubber farmers | Bangkok Post: business

..not really buying from growers!....just more media prattle..inaccurate,contradictory conjecture!

Cannot ever say that rubber farming is not entertaining:


So the wife takes off downhill to sell rubber at gate.


Me: Dear, ask ‘em why they are not tapping the 20+ rai above our house?
Wife: I need to buy glyphosate .
Me: Okay I will rephrase my question. Why the fk are they not cutting up there?
Wife: We not pay for them spray.
Me: Okay I will rephrase the f..g question..Why the fk are they not tapping the trees?
Wife: They no have power…... old like you…
Me: Sighs..Opens another beer….

Mai pen rai. If that fails, panic.

Been away, back in England for a couple of months, longer than expected due to unforeseen circumstances. Back to Reality now...
Prices since i last posted, cup per kg at fortnightly auction, Udon province;
# 29 sept 27.60 baht
# 13 oct 30.36
# 27 oct 29.05
# 10 nov 28.70
# 23 nov 31.90
# last week 32.12.

Jim just vanished. Leave town?

Originally Posted by Davis Knowlton

Jim just vanished. Leave town?

Isn't he in Oz with the family?

Dunno....maybe.

Originally Posted by Pragmatic

Originally Posted by Davis Knowlton

Jim just vanished. Leave town?

Isn't he in Oz with the family?

Yes in OZ for Xmas/New year, already sick of the place.

Not sure when we will be back, money being the deciding factor and Australia is far from cheap.
Wife's got a job in a Thai restaurant, pay is barely enough to covers food and she will be sick of working very shortly, so will see the holiday season out

Luckily no rent, as staying in my sisters house, have a loaner car, but it's just too expensive to do touristy things, place really has gone down since we last lived here, 7 years ago.

Bright side, rubber is up and until the Thais figure out how to steal the money or rubber, should get around $1,000 OZ a week until the dormant season.
Kids spoken English has come on very fast in the 2 weeks back, put them straight into school, but summer holidays start soon and they will get bored fast.

Up to Buddha.

^

I lasted 4 weeks last trip before I was gagging to get out of there.

Originally Posted by terry57

^

I lasted 4 weeks last trip before I was gagging to get out of there.

The government seems to believe that tourists, which is what we really are will pay through the nose for anything, then they complain that external and internal tourism is falling through the floor.

Nephew, wife, 4 kids got a package tour to Hawaii for less than 2 weeks on the gold coast, so it's cheap wine and chop chop [illegal] cigarettes for me.

Weather has been crap as well.

Allegedly 30baht/kg in Trat province as well.

^^

I'm lucky as i do not pay for accommodation but i still burn through a ton of cash on every trip back.

I'm not worried though as I worked for it so no probs.

I do not want to be in your boat where you have flounced back after many years away.

The shock would be way to harsh on the heart and death by heart attack could be expected.

At least our brilliant public health care will sort you out unlike this shithole where it will not unless ya have a heap of cash.

Originally Posted by terry57

At least our brilliant public health care will sort you out unlike this shithole where it will not unless ya have a heap of cash.

Unfortunately not true, have some eye problems, first thing we did, was registered for medicare.

They refused at start, non resident, but was allowed the next day, long story, so off to the optician for my free medicare eye test, my eye condition is not cover by medicare, $60 for an OCT scan.

Retinal specialist, medicare cover plus make up payment, which is not covered, $200 to $ 300 and should have checks monthly.

Thailand, scans $20, treatment including injection, $300 at the BKK Ram eye hospital, no waiting, good service.

Nothing to do with rubber, but I'm lucky, I pulled the pin from the prison service, they are firing officers over 55 for the smallest infraction, 2 of my friends, 25 plus years service, caught smoking in the car park. Old men don't do well in max security.

Not the country I grow up in and it will get worse, Terry they may take your pension away tomorrow, government just doesn't care about people anymore.

Gotta love governments..
Did you try applying to Centrelink...a tea towel and walnut dye may answer?

Dunno mate but if Centrelink gives you hard yakka you may want to send a letter to Pauline Hanson MP. Governments typically just hate awkward questions in the house?

Originally Posted by crepitas

Dunno mate but if Centrelink gives you hard yakka you may want to send a letter to Pauline Hanson MP. Governments typically just hate awkward questions in the house?

Just a few problems with that advice. Pauline is not an MP she is a Senator. Pauline hates non residents trying to take advantage of the largesse of the Aussie welfare/benefit system, thirdly she cannot read!

Rubber prices going up daily since I came back to OZ, at a 3 year high yesterday.
If it holds at the higher price then good times ahead, can live on lower prices, but no money no honey.

Will sit back until Song Kran, see if the price is stable, then think of opening the factory again, but who knows in today's world, up to Buddha

Frick post disappeared...!!!!!
Anyways things are on the up 34+ at gate few days ago.
On another note my dear wife spent an hour lining up at Thai Farmers Bank..she received the princely sum of 1500bt as annual poor farmer subsidy. Others in line got SFA..our tappers got 2500bt...TIT! Never have receive fertiliser or any other happiness gifts.

34.60 Baht per kg for cup @ auction today.
Every fortnight recently, we have broken our own production and profit records.

Seen pictures of the last local auction. Incredible amount of production ie tonnage from sellers. Queue numbers in the high 400's! Winning bidder's cash needed must be insane, easily £1 mil or in excess of 50 mil TB.

42 in trat province allegedly. FIL only got 32 as his rubber was wet - thats what he said anyway.

Very difficult to get "wet" cup at this time of year. If he's selling fortnightly, the cup lumps will be virtually dry, and shaped like a football...

You are correct. New trees tapped for the first couple of years, the DRC level is relatively low, ie far higher water content.
You are incorrect, once the trees get to 10-12 years old, and a tapper can tap only night time, the baht/hour rate can get pretty damn good, if prices stay above 30 baht per kg...