Minister of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries Dith Tina has inaugurated a new rubber park which features Cambodia’s oldest rubber trees, some of them more than 100 years old. The more than 400 trees of the park were planted during the French colonial period. 

Speaking at the December 17 event, the minister described the rubber trees as heritage treasures and a representation of the evolution of Cambodia’s industrial rubber plantation sector.

The “Techo Thipadei Rubber Heritage Park” is located in Thmor Pich commune of Tboung Khmum province and district, and is home to 448 century-old rubber trees. These trees were initially sourced from the Amazon region and planted using seeds, resulting in diverse shapes compared to modern rubber trees, which are cultivated using cloned and refined varieties for uniformity.

Mak Kimhong, chairman of the Sopheak Nika Investment Group Co., Ltd, shared that he had voluntarily handed the aging plantation over to the agriculture ministry for preservation and further rubber research.

“This land officially belongs to Sopheap Nika, but since the ministry is interested in conserving these trees, we have willingly granted management rights to the Rubber Directorate. Moving forward, they may formally request to transfer the land as public property under the Rubber Directorate. I agree because this benefits everyone,” he added.

The inauguration of the new park coincided with a rubber tapping competition. A total of 71 skilled tappers from 34 rubber plantations and five community rubber farms took part in the contest, which saw fifteen new motorcycles awarded to the winners, who were divided into five positions each for first, second, and third place.

Tina announced that the ministry will organise similar competitions in the coming years to promote rubber cultivation, motivate rubber workers and strengthen their skills.

Khun Kakda, acting director-general of the ministry’s Rubber Directorate, noted that over the past two decades, The Kingdom’s rubber plantation area has grown eightfold, from 50,000 hectares in 2000 to over 400,000 hectares by 2020.

He added that production also increased more than sevenfold, from over 50,000 tonnes to 350,000, contributing approximately $500 million annually to the national economy.

As of 2024, Cambodia has a total of 425,443 hectares of rubber plantations, with 52 per cent consisting of industrial plantations and 48 per cent, or 202,321 hectares, belonging to family-owned farms.

In 2024, rubber production reached 407,209 tonnes, marking a 4 per cent increase compared to 2023. Revenue from rubber exports totalled $640 million, with an average price of $1,617 per tonne, up by $280 from the $1,337 per tonne rates of 2023.

Kakada emphasised that the rubber industry supports around 140,000 workers who tap rubber and provides livelihoods for over 420,000 dependents, including spouses, children and parents.