Rubber plantations hit worst in floods  

The research unit of TMB Bank said in its report released yesterday that the floods that have swept the South since January 2 are expected to wash away business in various industries including farming, fishing and tourism.
Rubber planters have been hit the hardest due to the incessant downpours, inundation and cut-off transportation, which resulted in a 281,000-tonne or 6.3-per-cent reduction in the country’s annual output valued at Bt19.12 billion. 
Rubber sheets, bars and concentrate factories have had to suspend operations. Palm oil output is expected to be cut by more than Bt500,000 tonnes, accounting for 4.8 per cent of the country’s annual production, valued at Bt2.94 billion.