Yokohama Rubber and Thai Natural Rubber Corp. to hold 11th seminar supporting rubber farmers
In June 2026, Yokohama Rubber Co., Ltd., in collaboration with the Surat Thani branch of the Rubber Authority of Thailand (RAOT)*1, held a seminar event for natural rubber farmers in Surat Thani, Thailand, where its natural rubber processing company, YT Rubber Co., Ltd. (YTRC), is located. The seminar aimed to improve the quality and productivity of natural rubber. This was the 11th seminar since its inception in 2020, and 50 farmers from Surat Thani attended.
At a later date, Yokohama Rubber provided the participating farmers with fertilizer free of charge, utilizing RAOT's expertise. In January 2020, based on its "Sustainable Natural Rubber Procurement Policy," Yokohama Rubber signed a memorandum of understanding with RAOT regarding management support for natural rubber farmers and improving traceability to ensure transparency and soundness in the supply chain. This seminar is an ongoing initiative by our company, in collaboration with RAOT, through our local base, YTRC, as part of our farmer support activities based on this memorandum of understanding.
The seminar included lectures on topics such as "Soil and Plant Nutrients," "Appropriate Use of Fertilizers," "The Importance of Preventing Contamination of Natural Rubber," and "Workplace Safety, Health Risks, Quality Improvement, and Agricultural Management Concepts for Rubber Farmers." Representatives from local government agencies, police stations, and hospitals were also invited as guests to give lectures on the outline of laws concerning the employment of foreign workers, respect for the human rights of foreigners and ethnic minorities working on plantations and coexistence with the local community, traffic safety, and the importance of occupational safety and health to prevent dangers in rubber harvesting.
In the post-event survey, participants commented that they had improved their awareness of cultivation techniques and quality, saying things like, "I had been applying fertilizer haphazardly, but I was able to learn systematic knowledge," and "By hearing directly from YTRC, a natural rubber processing company, I understood that contamination is a serious problem."
Furthermore, a positive attitude toward improving the production management system was shown, with comments such as, "Until now, we had left some things entirely to Tupperware*2, but taking this event as an opportunity, we would like to share necessary knowledge and points to note in the future." In addition, there were comments such as, "We were surprised and impressed that a tire manufacturer cares about the farmers at the end of the supply chain," making this an opportunity to further deepen mutual understanding and trust between our company and natural rubber farmers.
Yokohama Rubber is a founding member of the Platform for Sustainable Natural Rubber (GPSNR*3), and in September 2021, it revised its conventional "Sustainable Natural Rubber Procurement Policy" to strengthen its cooperation with GPSNR activities. This seminar event reflected the "support for those involved in the supply chain" stated in the policy, and we will continue to implement and announce initiatives in line with the activity indicators set forth in the policy.
Yokohama Rubber has adopted "Compassion for the Future" as its sustainability slogan and is striving to create shared value with society by addressing social issues through its business activities.
*1 An organization under the jurisdiction of the Thai Ministry of Agriculture and Cooperatives (MOAC)
*2 A person who works by thinly scraping the bark of rubber trees to extract sap (latex)
*3 GPSNR: Global Platform for Sustainable Natural Rubber