Rubber Plantation in The West of Bandung

I was driving back from Jakarta yesterday. Instead of taking the Cipularang toll road all the way to Bandung, I got out at Cikampek exit and took the ordinary road from there. The trip took longer time wise, but the view along the road was worth the while. I could also drive at more leisurely pace without having to worry about the minimum speed limit and could stop the car whenever I wanted or found anything interesting.

The Cikampek - Padalarang route is a meandering road with paddy fields and rubber, cocoa, and tea plantations along the way.

About half way enroute I spotted a road-side coffee shop by a rubber plantation and stopped to have a coffee and take some photos.



As you can see in the bottom photo, the rubber tree sap (the natural rubber latex) is tapped and collected by making a diagonal incision into the bark. The sap would then be let to drip into a small container through a spout planted into the bark. The plantation workers would then collect the latex from the containers and bring it to the processing plant.

Indonesia currently produces nearly 3 million tons of natural rubber annually from about 3,4 million hectares of plantation areas. This production is equal to about 26.5 percent of the world's total natural latex production.