Data from the Rubber Institute of the Chinese Academy of Tropical Agricultural Sciences (CATAS) shows that my country is the fourth largest producer of natural rubber, with a total planting area of 16.772 million mu (approximately 1.15 million hectares) in 2024. However, according to calculations by the Industrial Economics and Policy Team of the Rubber Institute, nearly 30% of rubber plantations urgently need renewal. Without accelerating the renewal of old plantations, the downward trend in production capacity will be difficult to reverse.
Against this backdrop, promoting the high-quality and efficient renewal of low-yield and low-quality rubber plantations is urgently needed. It is noted that in recent years, policy support for the development of the natural rubber industry has been continuously increasing. The No. 1 Central Document of 2025 clearly proposed promoting stable production and quality improvement of natural rubber, and the No. 1 Central Document of 2026 further required promoting the steady development of the industry. Currently, it is urgent to take multiple measures to stabilize the planting area of natural rubber, promote the renewal and transformation of low-yield and low-quality rubber plantations, and strengthen the construction of standardized and specialized rubber plantations. The "Planning for Accelerating the Construction of a Strong Agricultural Country (2024-2035)" issued by the CPC Central Committee and the State Council proposes to promote the renewal and transformation of old natural rubber plantations and accelerate the construction of specialized rubber plantations. During a research visit to the China State Farms Economic Development Center in August 2025, Minister of Agriculture and Rural Affairs Han Jun also emphasized the need to focus on the renewal of old natural rubber plantations and the construction of specialized rubber plantations.
"These policies demonstrate the high importance the Party and the State attach to the natural rubber industry. They aim not only to maintain a certain volume and enhance the resilience of the natural rubber supply chain, but also to address structural issues and ensure uninterrupted rubber supply in key areas at critical times," said An Feng, a researcher at the Cultivation Ecology Research Office of the Rubber Institute of the Chinese Academy of Tropical Agricultural Sciences.
The root cause of insufficient enthusiasm for rubber plantation renewal is the "large upfront investment, long payback period, and low expected benefits." This needs to be addressed through a benefit mechanism that combines "short-term effectiveness with long-term guarantees," which also requires strengthened policy and financial support to reduce renewal costs. "The Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, the Ministry of Finance, the National Development and Reform Commission, and other relevant ministries have successively issued support policies such as subsidies for improved varieties and cultivation methods for natural rubber, and comprehensive insurance. With strong policy support, the implementation of projects such as natural rubber production capacity building, natural rubber industry clusters, natural rubber forestry subsidies, and subsidies for improved varieties and cultivation methods for natural rubber has effectively promoted the renewal and transformation of rubber plantations," An Feng told reporters.
Specifically, major natural rubber producing areas in China, such as Hainan and Yunnan, have also supported and promoted the renovation and upgrading of old rubber plantations through policy support. For example, Hainan Province has issued an action plan to promote the high-quality development of the natural rubber industry, clearly proposing a target of renovating more than 90,000 mu of old and low-yield rubber plantations annually and encouraging the adoption of new planting models. On the one hand, relying on the strength of the Rubber Institute of the Chinese Academy of Tropical Agricultural Sciences and other institutions, it uses science and technology to precisely empower and establish a matching system of "variety-model-technology". On the other hand, it dynamically increases subsidy standards according to cost increases. For example, after the introduction of the natural rubber improved variety and cultivation subsidy policy in 2022, the subsidy period was extended from 1-3 years to 4-6 years. Hainan increased the matching subsidy standards and strictly supervised the subsidy distribution, requiring that the seedling survival rate of the renewed rubber plantation be ≥98% in the first year and the diameter circumference be ≥18 cm in the third year to receive the full subsidy, ensuring the effectiveness of the subsidy.