Rubber farmers in Kapuas Hulu, West Kalimantan were trained to improve the quality of the natural rubber they produce. 33 farmers (17 female and 16 male) of the Sumedang Jaya Farmer Group from Mentebah, Kapuas Hulu District participated in the training conducted by GIZ andContinental (an international tire factory) through the Public Private Partnership programme on 9 April. The purpose of the training is to improve the quality of natural rubber to correspond to company’s standard (Continental).

Since December 2018 to April 2019, four trainings have been conducted for four rubber farmer groups. 102 farmers have been trained. The latest trainings are scheduled on 22, 23, and 30 April 2019. Training materials provided include: Management of rubber trees; Planting of natural rubber; Post-harvesting techniques of natural rubber.

At the end of the session, the farmers developed an agreement on a Follow-Up Plan to produce sustainable natural rubber within the agreed time-frame.

For more information, please contact:
Yuliana Suliyanti, Technical Advisor for Sustainable Agricultural Value Chain
Petrus Derani, Technical Advisor for Community Based Forest Management