Malaysia: Rubber plantations in danger if hot spell continues beyond May

NUR AQIDAH AZIZI New Straits Times 15 Mar 16;

KUALA PILAH: Rubber plantations are in danger of being affected by low productivity if the current hot weather continues.

The current weather, said Malaysian Rubber Board (MRB) Director-General Datuk Dr Mohd Akbar Md, is still considered bearable for rubber trees, which can withstand high temperatures.

“At the moment, we can see that the rubber trees are starting to lose leaves.

But this is still considered normal as rubber trees normally shed their leaves from October to January.

Shedding leaves is also a way for rubber trees to withstand the hot weather and ensure its survival,” he said.

Mohd Akbar said, if the hot weather persists until May, it would have a negative impact on the rubber trees.

“Hot weather will prevent rubber trees from continuing with its photosynthesis process,” he told a press conference today at the Kompleks Rakan Muda Kuala Pilah, here today.

Mohd Akbar said rubber plantations in the country was badly affected in 2007, which resulted in a 10 per cent decline in rubber production due to the haze.