Perk Lertwangpong, chairman of the rubber authority’s board, told The Nation on Thursday that public agencies and private companies had placed orders for 20,000 green energy radial tyres, which is its entire production capacity at present.

“Our green energy tyres use latex from domestic rubber plantations and meet international manufacturing standards,” he said. “Every tyre complies with the European Union Deforestation Regulation, which mandates full traceability to ensure that the product does not contribute to deforestation or forest degradation worldwide.”

Perk said the authority strictly chooses only natural latex from plantations located in eligible areas – they must not encroach on forest land or obstruct the flow of water sources. The move aims to promote sustainable cultivation of rubber among Thai farmers as well as prevent deforestation, he said.

Perk added that the first batch of Greenergy Tyres was designed for small pickup trucks and vans, but the authority plans to expand product lines to cover eight different usages, including large trucks, buses, agricultural vehicles, offroad, and motorcycles.

Amid overwhelming interest from buyers, the rubber authority is considering increasing the production output of the next batches as well, he added.

Apart from being environmentally friendly, Greenergy Tyres also offer high performance and superior gripping ability to ensure a smoother ride. All tyres have passed the quality standard test to ensure that they can last more than 50,000 kilometres, Perk said.

“We aim to make the next batches of Greenergy Tyres pass more standards, such as the Good Manufacturing Practice and Good Agricultural Practice to become a more affordable option compared to imported tyres,” he added.

Perk added that the Ministry of Agriculture and Cooperatives is also planning to propose the use of Greenergy Tyres in government vehicles, which require changing every 2-3 years due to continued usage. 

If approved, the move would help secure the market for Thai rubber farmers as well as stabilise the domestic rubber price, Perk said.

Source : The Nation