Floods in southern Thailand could cut rubber production by about 7%, the Rubber Authority of Thailand said on Tuesday.
The state agency had set a target of 4.78 million tonnes for this year but output could fall about 320,000 tonnes short of the goal, said acting governor Sukatus Tarngwiriyakul.
“The flooding has prevented rubber farmers from tapping rubber,” said Mr Sukatus, adding that domestic rubber consumption would also impacted.
Thailand is the world’s biggest rubber exporter. It shipped out 2.86 tonnes of rubber in the first nine months of this year, down 5.9% from the same period a year ago.
In 2023, rubber exports totalled 4 million tonnes.
Thailand has about 5.96 million rai of rubber planting areas in eight southern provinces, the rubber authority said.
Southern Thailand and peninsular Malaysia have been hit by some of the worst flooding in decades, with dozens dead and hundreds of thousands displaced. Authorities have warned of more heavy rain this week.
The death toll from flooding in the South has reached 25, with more than 300,000 households still affected, the Ministry of Interior said on Tuesday.
The government said it would offer support payments of 9,000 baht for each affected household.
The Meteorological Department warned people in the South to beware of heavy to very heavy rains and possible flash flooding and overflows until Wednesday.