Rubber Boom in Luang Namtha: seven years later April27,2015

The original report (February 2008) was written near the height of the rubber boom: 2010-­‐2011saw the highest latex prices at the farm gate and in international markets. In 2008 Luang Namtha (LNT) was in a frenzy to plant more rubber trees: The provincial government saw rubber as the holy grail of development; Chinese companies couldn’t get and clear land fast enough; for the most part, Lao villagers also desperately wanted their own plantations. The resulting arrangements of rubber development were highly diverse, including smallholder plantations developed by villagers, various contract farming schemes with companies, and land concessions given to rubber investors In spite of brewing tensions among the land hungry investor, the villagers, and various levels of the Lao government,