Military promotes natural rubber as raw material for road, reservoir construction

BANGKOK, June 8 (TNA) – The Defence Ministry and the Rubber Authority of Thailand will seal a deal for military organisations to buy natural rubber for the construction of roads and reservoirs to increase local rubber demand and raise the income of rubber growers. Yiam Thawarorit, acting governor of the Rubber Authority of Thailand, discussed the project with representatives of the Defence Ministry, the Armed Forces Development Command and the Royal Thai Army. Under the project, the Royal Thai Armed Forces Headquarters and the Royal Thai Army will buy 1,713 tons of natural rubber worth 2.6 billion baht to build roads for security purposes and farm product transport and to construct reservoirs. The private sector will buy latex from farmers’ organisations certified by the Rubber Authority of Thailand, condense it and sell it to the military. Engineering military will then mix it with cement and laterite to build roads with a combined distance of about 1,500 kilometers in remote areas and construct 60 reservoirs in 27 provinces. Such laterite roads will cost 210 baht per kilometer and will be 3-4 times more durable than conventional laterite roads and such a rubber reservoir will cost 400,000 baht. The construction was set from July to September. (TNA)