This was contained in a resolution addressed to the Zamboanga Sibugay Rubber Industry Development Council (ZSRIDC) by the rubber farmers and growers attending the first rubber summit last Feb. 21-22 at the Provincial Capitol this municipality.
The said resolution is also requesting the provincial legislators to pass an ordinance that will prohibit buyers of rubber products from buying dirty rubber lumps.
Rubber lumps are often stuffed with materials inside or drenched in mud or used with battery solution to make it heavier, thus making it poor in quality and reduces its price value.
The rubber farmers and growers also requested the assignation of a rubber specialist, creation of price management committee, bagsakan with fair weighing scale and the availability and sustainability of formic acid in the market to prevent the use of battery solution.
Government officials attending the said summit were Undersecretary Jerry Pacturan of the Department of Agrarian Reform (DAR), Regional Director Lorenzo G. Macapili of TESDA-9, Regional Director Sisinio B. Cano of DOLE-9, Regional Director Constancio G. Alama of DA-9, Regional Director Sitti Amina Jain of DTI-9, Ms. Andrea Inocencio of DA-Bureau of Plant Industry as well as provincial directors and heads of offices.
The rubber summit was a collaborative effort of national government agencies (NGAs) like the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI), Technical Education Skills and Development Authority (TESDA), Department of Agriculture – Zamboanga Peninsula Integrated Agricultural Research Center (DA-ZAMPIARC), Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE), Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR), Office of the Provincial Agriculturist and others.