Africa-Press – Liberia. Some smallholders unloading their rubber at the Jeety Rubber Factory yard in Weala, Margibi County, on August 30, 2025.
The morning mist still clings to the rubber trees as Moses Dolo makes diagonal cuts to collect the milky latex that seeps from each incision.
The work is relentless, but tapping has long been part of Dolo’s life. By May, he had nearly three tons of latex, enough to generate about $1,500. “Rubber farming is labor-intensive,” Dolo said. “If you want to earn a profit as a smallholder, you need to be involved in tapping, not just rely on workers.”
But just as Dolo was about to sell, devastating news was not far away: Firestone, the country’s largest rubber buyer, was suspending all rubber purchases nationwide, citing the government’s mandated pricing as “unsustainable.”
“I had grown used to the uncertainties of the business, fluctuating prices and irregular buyers,” Dolo recalls, the memory still painful months later. “But nothing prepared me for what happened in June. This time I had enough latex, about three tons, representing not just lost income but wasted labor, materials, and hope.”
For decades, smallholders had faced this precarious reality, as Firestone would periodically halt purchases based on market conditions, forcing farmers to accept significantly lower prices from middlemen. That changed for Dolo in August, when a friend told him about the Jeety Rubber Factory in Weala, Margibi County.
The sprawling $35 million facility requires a daily minimum of 200 to 250 tons of unprocessed rubber to operate at full capacity of 25,000 tons annually. The factory, exporting Technical Specified Rubber (grades TSR10 and TSR20), buys nearly all of its annual rubber needs directly from smallholders at the government market price of $574.06 per ton of coagulum (cup lumps or slabs).
“The factory is a blessing. We no longer worry about whether Firestone will buy or not,” says Dolo, who is from Todee, Montserrado County. “The added advantage with Jeety Rubber is that when you take your rubber to them, they pay cash immediately. There is no going back and forth. It is direct.”
Dolo’s relief is shared by hundreds of smallholders who would otherwise be struggling. He says Firestone’s purchase suspension is not hurting smallholders, as there is a replacement with constant demand for latex. The pricing structure, introduced in June, set $574.06 as the gross price for a ton, including a 4% government levy of $22.96, with contributions to the Rubber Development Fund Incorporated ($3.17) and the Rubber Planters Association of Liberia ($2.00), leaving smallholders with $545.93 net.
Officials characterized the pricing decision as protecting smallholders from exploitation while restoring fairness to a sector long plagued by volatile pricing. The government says its market price, which is subject to change depending on market circumstances, was set against the average daily price of rubber on the Singapore Commodity Exchange for each preceding month, with regulators deducting production costs to reflect the 58% dry rubber content and applying a 10% profit margin for processors, leading to the final gross price.
Experts note that the government’s involvement was crucial to prevent exploitation of smallholders, who have been price-takers for too long. The fixed pricing, experts say, gives smallholders dignity and predictable income, creating a sustainable business model that benefits everyone in the supply chain.
Unlike Firestone, Jeety Rubber relies almost entirely on smallholder production. Its acquisition of the 4,400-hectare Salala Rubber Corporation cannot meet the factory’s latex requirements alone. Industry experts predict that as the factory expands, daily latex needs could reach about 400 tons, creating unprecedented opportunities for smallholders.
Scores of smallholders from Margibi, Bong, Nimba, and Montserrado await payment from the sale of their rubber on August 30, 2025. Photo credit: Joeraisee Joe.
According to Merey Napal, in the last decade, rubber farming has been a gamble, never knowing if buyers would come or at what price. However, the dynamic appeared to have changed as the Jeety Rubber factory’s hunger for latex has created a lifeline market for smallholders from Montserrado, Margibi, Bong, and Nimba counties.
“If you or your workers are strong enough, and your trees aren’t too old, you can sell three tons weekly, that’s $1,722 or more monthly,” she calculates, her voice reflecting newfound confidence in the sector’s prospects.
“The profit margin in the rubber business is small, but with constant sales, that’s when you see profit. This is what makes Jeety Rubber a reliable partner. You bring rubber, they buy, and pay cash right away,” says Napal, who in August alone visited the factory twice to sell.
Jerry Sumoward shares this optimism. He recalls how smallholders had lost faith in farming due to Firestone’s unpredictable purchasing suspensions that devastated incomes and livelihoods. According to Sumoward, the demand for rubber from the Jeety factory has led to a shift in smallholders’ mindset—from survival mode to long-term economic planning, focusing on replanting and workforce investment to boost production.
“Recently, many farmers have begun replanting, which is excellent for long-term sustainability,” Sumoward explains while weighing nearly 11 tons of rubber in Jeety’s factory yard. “This wasn’t a priority when the business wasn’t profitable, but now it is.”
“Rubber farming is expensive, so without constant demand, smallholders’ incomes and livelihoods suffer badly. But now, we anticipate a better future,” he says.
Sumoward’s optimism comes as Jeety is spending approximately $114,812 daily purchasing 200 tons of latex, averaging $803,684 weekly. The company is expected to spend $24 million from June to December, buying at the government price of $574.06.
This adds to the over $20 million spent in the past 18 months purchasing from smallholders at the company’s previous rate of around $400 per ton. The company projects annual rubber purchase expenditures of $40–50 million once it starts producing rubber goods in the next two years.
Despite high demand, the factory still struggles to secure the 25,000 tons needed for full-capacity operation. Experts attribute the shortfall to declining latex production, as many trees in primary rubber-producing counties are past their prime. According to the Food and Agriculture Organization, latex production declines significantly after 30 years, rendering further tapping uneconomical, though smallholders may continue for years beyond optimal productivity.
And as global natural rubber demand grows, driven partly by environmental concerns about synthetic alternatives, Jeety Rubber and smallholder have developed plans to increase production.The strategy includes providing financing support to smallholders for replanting and farm expansion with improved varieties. The interest-free funding is repaid over four to six months or annually, deducted through agreed percentages from each sale.
Hawa Singbeh, a smallholder from Todee, Montserrado, views this support system as transformative for long-term economic planning. Hawa says that before, smallholders could only think about today’s problems—where to sell and what price to get.
“Now, with the company’s support, I am replanting and expanding my farm. They give us money upfront and take it back slowly from our sales. This support helps us prepare for the future,” she continues. “My children can see that rubber farming has a future now. With better trees and steady buyers, we can build something lasting.”
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