IN THE majority of areas of Kabasalan, Zamboanga Sibugay, the production of rubber has been a way of life for most villagers.
As early as 2 o’clock or 3 o’clock in the morning, even children as young as 11 years old wake up to tap rubber trees, while their parents will collect the sap later in the day.
It is believed that the bark of the trees produces more sap when cut early in the morning.
Rubber tapping is the process by which latex is collected from a rubber tree. An incision is made in the tree’s bark, which cuts through the latex vessels, from which the product then flows.
Timing of the incision must be planned within the planting cycle to optimize the latex yield.
Rubber is one of the country’s most valued agricultural crops.
Of the 140,000 metric tons of rubber produced during the last quarter of 2017, almost half came from the Zamboanga Peninsula.
At present, the Philippines ranks 10th among the rubber producing countries in the world.
For the first time, a group of high school students from the province of Zamboanga Sibugay will be learning how to grow, plant, and harvest the sap of rubber trees, which is considered as the most important crop in their province.
The task of teaching the rubber production course may seem daunting, but the organizers are confident that they will be able to teach the subject well.
Organized by the Forest Products Research and Development Institute of the Department of Science and Technology (DOST-FPRDI), the training was designed to teach four competencies: establish a rubber budwood and seedlings nursery; plant rubber trees and seedlings; do a budding operation; and harvest latex.
The mentors were earlier assessed and awarded with the National Certificate II (NC II) by the Technical Education and Skills Authority (TESDA).
This means that they “demonstrated necessary skills and knowledge to perform the tasks carried out by a professional.”
While most of the local farmers are already skilled tappers, the training is expected to complement their skills with scientific knowledge to lessen the damage on rubber trees.
Proper tapping will not only prolong tree life, but will also improve latex yield that could increase the income of the farmers.
The rubber production training is part of the Institute’s effort of contributing to the goal of the national government to increase the production of rubber in the countryside.
Geared toward increasing the number of competent rubber farmer-tappers and improving the quality of harvested latex, the course has so far trained 386 persons, 49 of which are NC II holders.
It is part of the project dubbed “Capability Building on Tapping and Use of Appropriate Coagulant for Improved Rubber Latex Yield.”
The project is being funded by the DOST-Philippine Council for Agriculture, Aquatic and Natural Resources Research and Development of the Department of Science and Technology.
The FPRDI is hoping to replicate this initiative in other provinces so that more people can benefit from the science of rubber tapping. (jaypeeyap@ymail.com/PN)
