Mat made from raw rubber

The person who manufactured this raw rubber mat runs his own plantation in Kerala as a small entrepreneur. 80 percent of the rubber production in India comes from this southern Indian state, the beginning of which dates back to British colonial rule. In recent years most of the small businesses have been threatened by the massive import of synthetic, petroleum-based rubber. Numerous small farmers have committed suicide. Natural rubber is primarily extracted in Thailand, Indonesia, Malaysia, Vietnam, India and China. Small farmers have no influence on the supply chains and global economic developments that determine the price of their goods. Their incomes fall while the demand for rubber increases.