A REPORT ON CURRENT

ACTIVITIES ON RUBBER

RESEARCH AND

DEVELOPMENT IN THE

PHILIPPINES

By Mr. Rodolfo L. Galang Dr. Romulo Cena, and Dr.
Nicomedes P. Eleazar, Coordinator of DA-BAR National
Rubber RDE Program, and Director of Bureau of
Agricultural Research, respectively

The Philippine Rubber

Industry

In 2009, there is existing production area
of 128,337 hectares that produced a
volume of 390,962 MT.

Rubber has been elevated into one of the
priority crops under the High Value

Commercial Crops Program of the
Department of Agriculture.

Prospects

Growing domestic and global demand for
natural rubber

Increasing price of rubber in the world market
Large potential areas suitable for rubber in the
Philippines, including Luzon and the Visayas,

with suitable plantation management
innovations.

Access to technical information/knowledge on
rubber industry

Problems

Low yield per hectare due to poor
management practices

Poor nutritional condition of trees, lack of
training for proper harvesting

Poor infrastructure and marketing
systems

Tenure problems in expansion areas

Lack of planting materials for expansion

Government support and

current activities

The Department of Agriculture (DA) is
currently implementing the National

Rubber Development Program (NRDP),
which attempts to gradually increase the
countrys rubber plantations.

The specific objectives of

the NRDP are:

To increase rubber plantation

To increase the national average yield from 1
ton per hectare to 2 tons per hectare

To improve quality of rubber production
towards meeting world standards for

competitiveness

To increase investments in the rubber industry.

The components of the

NRDP are as follows:

Investment Promotion and Facilitation
Production Support and Extension
Research and Development
Market Promotion and Development
Infrastructure Development

The research priorities

under R&D Component
Adaptation trials of recommended rubber clones and production
technologies

Budwood garden and seedling nursery development

Development of tissue culture methods for mass propagation
Pests and diseases control and management
Management of tapping panel dryness
Demonstration farms establishment and maintenance
Harvesting technologies, adaptation and development
Latex processing and marketing
Rubber products development and promotion

Infrastructure and facilities development for rubber R&D

The Bureau of Agricultural

Research

The Bureau of Agricultural Research (BAR) is the

agency of the Department of Agriculture (DA) that is
mandated to coordinate agricultural and fishery
research and development activities, develop

partnerships and linkages with local and international
research organizations, source funds from local and
foreign donor institutions, strengthen institutional
capabilities of the agriculture and fisheries sectors,
manage knowledge, and advocate policies toward
improved governance and progressive agricultural and
fishery sector value chain.

The Bureau of Agricultural

Research

In support of the DA priorities, the Bureau
is currently providing support to the

implementation of research and
development projects in partnership with
regional research centers and

universities.

Research projects

Ten (10) projects consist of performance trials of
recommended rubber clones and demonstration of
seedlings nursery and budwood gardens. The project
sites are located in non-traditional rubber areas in
Luzon and Visayas, wherein there are large areas of
idle land and denuded hillylands.

These projects have common activities, namely:
Adaptability trial of different clones
Establishment of rubber budwood garden and nursery
Establishment of demonstration farms
Information dissemination activities and training on
skills development

Research projects

The performance trials in non-traditional
areas are located in the provinces of La

Union, Pampanga, Rizal, Laguna,
Quezon, Mindoro, Palawan, Negros
Oriental, and Southern Leyte.

Research projects

Two laboratory research are being conducted
in the University of Southern Mindanao and the
rest are demonstration farms in traditional
rubber-growing areas in Mindanao. These
demo-farms are models of rubber-based
farming systems with intercrops of various
cash crops such as maize, banana, abaca,
cacao, coffee, cassava and pineapple. The
projects are located in the provinces of
Zamboanga, South Cotabato, Davao,
Bukidnon and Agusan Sur.

Significance

The project activities and accomplishments of
BAR have put up the groundwork for the

expansion of rubber plantations in the country,

especially in non-traditional areas. The

knowledge and experience gained by the

implementers through hands-on experience
and formal trainings and workshops have set
the stage for the continuous support to rubber

industry.

The Philippine Rubber

Research Institute

A very positive sign for the Philippine Rubber
Industry is the issuance in May 2010 of the
Republic Act 10089 or the Act Creating the
Philippine Rubber Research Institute to
Develop the Philippine Rubber Industry. The
establishment of the PRRI aims to realize the
goal of economic development in the
countryside and improve the quality of life in
poor rural communities that depend primarily
on rubber industry. The PRRI will be "under the
control and supervision of the Department of
Agriculture"

Conclusion

The passage of the law creating the Philippine
Rubber Research Institute is a milestone in
Philippine rubber industry. It signifies the
support being given by the government to the
industry. The BAR paved the way to the
creation of the PRRI. The research and
development projects it has funded and
implemented through the research arms of the
Department of Agriculture and the universities
provided the stimulant for the growing interest
in rubber in the government and the investing
private sectors.