A rubber tree was used only as firewood whenever it stopped producing latex.
But now the rubber wood has turned out to be a valuable timber for making furniture and this has been made possible due to a technology developed by the researchers of Bangladesh Forest Research Institute (BFRI).
The milky liquid which is called ‘latex’ can be extracted as soon as a rubber tree reaches the age of seven years. The process of extracting latex is also called ‘rubber tapping’. A rubber tree has an economic life of 25-30 years and after that period the latex production gradually declines. Rubber trees are generally felled for re-plantation when they reach 30-35 years of age, said the researchers at the BFRI.
“The earlier practice was to burn the rubber trees as fuel-wood, but in recent time the rubber timber is now being used for making furniture. The people of our country did not prefer using rubber wood as firewood since it emits huge smoke when burnt. But now the researchers at the BFRI have developed a technology on how to utilise it as timber,” said Dr Khurshid Akhter, chief research officer of Forest Products Wing of the BFRI.
Bangladesh Forest Industries Development Corporation (BFIDC) is now utilising the technology developed by the BFIR and manufacturing and marketing furniture made of the rubber timber.
The BFIDC has cut down around 45,000 cft rubber timber for manufacturing furniture in the last fiscal year. The timbers were used for manufacturing furniture come from 19 rubber gardens across the country owned by the BFIDC.
The BFIDC officials said a huge value has been added due to the utilisation of the rubber wood as timber. One cubic feet rubber wood used to be sold in the country at about Tk50. But now one cubic feet rubber timber is sold at Tk1500-1600.
“The furniture made of rubber timber is gaining popularity in the country. We are now manufacturing chair and table and supplying them to different government agencies. The BFIDC has now a capacity of manufacturing 10,000 cft rubber timbers a month,” said Uttam Kumar Basu, assistant general manager of Cabinet Manufacturing Plant, BFIDC, Chittagong.
“Furniture made from rubber wood is spectacular and durable. A rubber timber due to its growth ring looks good when it is polished or burnished. Rubber Plywood manufactured from the veneer of rubber wood is suitable for making high-quality furniture.,” said Basu.
“Around 15 cubic feet round timber and 20-30 cubic feet fuel-wood can be collected from a mature rubber tree. Considering the high commercial value of a rubber tree, the BFIDC is going to set up a rubber wood pressure treatment plant at Sreemangal in Moulvibazar,” said Aziz Uddin Ryhan, an official of the BFIDC, Chittagong.
According to the information provided by the BFIDC, the first attempt to grow rubber in the country was made in 1952 when Forest Department planted some thousands of seeds and budded stamps in Chittagong after importing them from Malaysia and Sri Lanka. In the same year the forest department planted some rubber saplings on an experimental basis in Tangail, Chittagong and Panchagarh of the country.