Yokohama holds tenth joint seminar for Thai farmers

Hiratsuka, Japan—The Yokohama Rubber Co., Ltd. announced that, together with the Surat Thani branch of the Rubber Authority of Thailand (RAOT), it held a seminar event in December 2025 to help Thai natural rubber farmers improve the quality and productivity of their natural rubber. Fifty farm households in the Surat Thani area participated in the event, which has now been held ten times since the first one in 2020. Yokohama Rubber later provided fertilizer developed using RAOT’s expertise to the participants free of charge.

During the seminar, lectures were given on nutrients in soil and plants, the proper use of fertilizers, and the importance of preventing contamination by foreign matter in natural rubber. In addition, to commemorate the 10th seminar in this series started in 2020, representatives of local government agencies, the police department, and a local hospital were invited as guests to give speeches on the importance of respecting the human rights of foreigners and ethnic minorities working on farms, coexistence with the local community, transportation safety, and occupational health and safety. Replies to the questionnaire passed out after the event show that many participants appreciated contents advising them on how to improve cultivation techniques and raising their quality awareness, with specific comments such as “Although I have been working on a rubber farm for some time, this was the first time I was told how to apply fertilizer systematically” and “The comments by a manufacturer that uses the rubber we produce reminded me of the importance of preventing contamination by foreign matter.” Replies also showed that seminar attendees are greatly interested in occupational health and safety and found the local hospital director’s speech including information about preventing back pain during tree tapping and dealing with poisonous insects very helpful. Participants’ enjoyment and appreciation of the seminar is evident in one reply saying that “I was nervous at first, but the speakers and event organizers kept us fully engaged and the event was entertaining and enjoyable. I would like to introduce it to my friends and relatives.”

In January 2020, Yokohama Rubber signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the RAOT to cooperate in efforts to provide economic support for Thai natural rubber farmers and to improve traceability to ensure transparency and soundness of the natural rubber supply chain. The MOU and events held under it are concrete actions based on Yokohama Rubber’s “Procurement Policy for Sustainable Natural Rubber.” This seminar event was held in the Surat Thani area, home to Yokohama Rubber’s Thai natural rubber processing company Y.T. Rubber Co., Ltd. (YTRC), as part of support for farmers under the MOU.

A founding member of the Global Platform for Sustainable Natural Rubber (GPSNR), Yokohama Rubber revised its “Procurement Policy for Sustainable Natural Rubber” in September 2021 and is strengthening its collaboration with GPSNR activities. The recent seminar event in Thailand reflects the principle of “Support for suppliers, including small-scale farmers, and other parties involved in the supply chain” set forth in the Procurement Policy. Yokohama Rubber will continue to implement and announce initiatives in line with the action guidelines stipulated in this policy. Yokohama Rubber also is endeavoring to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) adopted by the United Nations. As part of these efforts, the Yokohama Rubber Group is promoting the procurement of sustainable raw materials, including natural rubber.