Rubber Planted Area and Production

First attempt of rubber plantation was made in Bangladesh in 1952 and the Department of Forest brought several thousand of rubber seeds and some budded saplings from Malaysia and Sri Lanka and planted them on experimental basis in Chattogram and Madhupur (Tangail) areas in 1959. FAO conducted a feasibility study on the potentiality of rubber plantation in Bangladesh and recommended to introduce commercial rubber plantation. The Department of Forest took up a pilot project in 1960, “Rubber Plantation Programme” on 287 hectares of land. During the implementation period, the 5-year long project was amended for the expansion of its command area from 287 to 1214 hectares. In 1962, Department of Forest handed over rubber planting activities to Bangladesh Forest Industries Development Corporation (BFIDC). The success of the pilot project inspired the then government to take another 5-year long project in 1965 for rubber plantation on 4,250 hectare of land with processing of rubber. 

During 1960-1973, BFIDC earmarked a total of 3,116 hectare of forest land of Chittagong and Sylhet region to develop rubber gardens there. But rubber gardens could be set up on 809 hectare of which only 162 hectare became matured to yield within the project period. In this context in 1974, the government took up a rehabilitation programme for the rubber plantation project with provisions of more investment, infrastructural development, re-plantation of rubber trees, and research and training facilities. 

The government took up a plan to create rubber gardens over 28,328 hectare of fallow and infertile land, unsuitable for yielding of food grain and other crops during the second 5 year plan period (1980-81 to 1984-85) of which 16,187 hectare belonged to the government and the rest was private land. BFIDC began to plant high yielding variety of rubber saplings from 1980-81, and by 1997 it developed 16 rubber gardens on an area of 13,207 hectare in Chittagong, Sylhet and Madhupur(Tangail) regions. About 80% saplings of that rubber gardens raised by BFIDC were RRIM-600 and PB-235 clone varieties from Malaysia. Each of the clone trees yields about 3 kg of rubber per year. At present, there are about 3.86million rubber trees in the BFIDC gardens of which more than 2 million trees have attained the production-stage.

Meanwhile a total of 13,172 hectare of land of Bandarban Hill District were allotted to 1302 individuals and organisations (10 hectare per head) for rubber plantation. An 18 member Standing Committee was formed with the Commissioner of Chittagong Division as its chief to select the potential rubber planters and to allot them land for rubber gardens. Moreover, the Chittagong Hill Tracts Development Board has developed rubber gardens on 5,260 hectare of land. Various multinational companies, small and medium private enterprises including tea garden owners have rubber gardens of 8,417 hectare. BFIDC went into commercial production of rubber for the first time in the country in 1967-68 and produced 0.7 metric tons of rubber. BFIDC's annual production of rubber which was 55 metric tons in 1972-73, increased to 429 metric tons in 1978-79. Eventually this figure went up to about 5127 metric tons in the recent years. Private sector garden-owners also produced 5,500 metric tons in recent years. In recent years rubber production in Bangladesh has increased significantly.

Processing and marketing

In the pre-liberation period, before 1971, there were 10 to 15 rubber based factories in the thenEast Pakistan (Bangladesh). After the independence of Bangladesh nearly 400 small and medium scale factories were set up in private sector with the increase of production and demand of rubber. These plants are producing tyre-tube of rickshaws (one kind of cart) and other light vehicles, shoes, foot wears, pipe, bucket, gasket, well seal, automobile parts, jute and textile spares etc. using the locally extracted rubber as raw material. Meanwhile, a high-tech latex (rubber) concentrated plant has been established by a private entrepreneur at Chakoria in Cox's Bazar district. 

Rubber timber was used as fire-wood in Bangladesh in near past. But now, timber extracted from BFIDC's rubber gardens is processed scientifically by its Timber Treatment and Seasoning Unit to make high class furniture and home decors like doors and windows. Rubber timber is as like as high class timber in terms of quality and durability.
Different rubber based products produced by the rubber factories in Bangladesh are listed below: 

• Adhesives based on rubber
• Smoked sheets
• Technically specified natural rubber
• Reclaimed rubber
• Other forms and articles of unvulcanized rubber
• Rubber belt round
• New pneumatic tires
• Inner tubes
• Hygienic of pharmaceutical article of vulcanized rubber
• Surgical gloves
• Articles of apparel and clothing accessories of vulcanized rubber
• Articles of vulcanized cellular rubber
• Floor covering and mats of vulcanized rubber
• Gaskets, washers and other seals of vulcanized rubber
• Rubber apron
• Rubber bearing                                

Source: Banglapedia - National Encyclopedia of Bangladesh & Export Promotion Bureau, Bangladesh

NR Consumption

Many rubber based industrial plants are established in the country. These plants process natural rubber into usable rubber products. The rubber products consumed locally are listed below:

• Raw material for tyres and tubes of automobiles, bicycle and rickshaw.
• Raw material for footwear, belts and shoes.
• Essential for processing synthetic rubber.
• Rubber plants timbers are used as high class timbers.
• Rubber cake is used as a good fertilizers and poultry feed.
• Rubber flower as source of honey.
• Latex processing wastes and residues are used as fertilizer, biogas and power.
• Raw material for pipe, bucket, gasket and well seal.

Natural Rubber Basic Statistics and Export:

The total production of natural rubber in Bangladesh increased from 18,400 tonnes in 2015 to 23,000 tonnes in 2019. The target of the government is to increase the production to 200,000 tonnes by 2050.

 

Notes:
* increase in lifecycle - lost trees caused less rubber production last year.
** estimates
BDT - Bangladeshi Taka
USD - United States Dollars
Source: Production data is collected from BFIDC and other private rubber planters; Export data are from Export Promotion Bureau, Bangladesh

Bangladesh Rubber Board and equivalent entity dealing with natural rubber

In 2013, “Bangladesh Rubber Board Act” has been enacted. Following the Act, Bangladesh Rubber Board (BRB) was established and the activities of the standing Committee were hereby abolished. Tillmid-2019, while BRB had no manpower of its own, Bangladesh Rubber Board’s (BRB) activities were looked after by the BFIDC. After long 6 (six) years, BRB got its own manpower in mid-2019 and started its journey as an autonomous body of the government to formulate and implement development plans for the natural rubber sector. Bangladesh Rubber Board also aims to extend scientific, technical, craftsmanship and financial support to the private entrepreneurs to develop sustainable rubber cultivation, extension and related industries.

International cooperation

With the objectives of strengthening cooperation with other producing countries and contributing to the sustainable Natural Rubber industry in this country, Bangladesh joined as a member of the Association of Natural Rubber Producing Countries(ANRPC) in October 2017. Bangladesh has also become a member of International Rubber Research and Development Board (IRRDB).

Future Development Plans

After the formation of Bangladesh Rubber Board, a lot of development plans and actions are needed to be taken, such as increasing productivity by using HYV/improved clones, establishing modern plans and ETP’s, modernizing factories and smoke-houses, creating a database, sharing information with the upstream and downstream partners, reducing wastage through proper latex harvesting technology, ensuring high quality product to meet consumer demands, integrating and managing business processes across the supply chain, improving quality of rubber, promotion, marketing and extension of rubber cultivation with a view to meet the domestic needs and save foreign currency, increasing rubber export after fulfilling local demand of natural rubber, using rubber trees as A-class timber after the expiry of their life cycle, ensuring the security and safety of rubber gardens, protect rubber trees and latex from theft/trafficking, alleviating poverty of the rural people by expansion of rubber cultivation both in private and public sectors especially in the Hilly areas of Bangladesh.

Major achievements of Bangladesh Rubber Board

According to an MoU about ‘The Multilateral Clone Exchange Among IRRDB Member Countries’ signed by the members of The International Rubber Research and Development Board (IRRDB), Bangladesh Rubber Board has taken initiative to import high yielding varieties of rubber clones form India and Sri Lanka, so that natural rubber sector can increase its productivity. It is hoped that the consignments will arrive Bangladesh by next monsoon season. Bangladesh Rubber Board and its stakeholders are committed for the betterment of environment-friendly natural rubber sector in Bangladesh.