Rubber tappers in the lurch

HUSIN is a rubber tapper. He lives alone and taps rubber on a small patch of land owned by Hasan. The arrangement is that whatever rubber he taps, it is shared half-half with Hasan who, because of old age, is no longer able to tap his own holding.

There are many like Husin in the country. There are also many like Hasan. They are all rubber smallholders. The plot of land owned by Hasan is less than three hectares. Most of the hundreds of thousands of rubber smallholders in the country own similar plots to earn a living. For decades now, ever since the big plantation boys abandoned rubber cultivation for oil palm, rubber in the country has been supplied by people like Husin and Hasan.