When the morning mist settles over his rubber farm in Todee, Montserrado County, Moses Dolo sharpens his tapping knife and makes diagonal cuts into the bark of his trees. Milky latex drips into cups as he moves from tree to tree, repeating the ritual he has known all his life.
By May this year, Dolo had collected nearly three tons of latex, enough to generate about USD 1,500. But in June, he was dealt a devastating blow: Firestone Liberia, the country’s largest rubber buyer, suspended all purchases nationwide, citing the government’s new pricing structure as “unsustainable.”
“I had grown used to the uncertainties of the business—fluctuating prices and irregular buyers,” Dolo recalled. “But nothing prepared me for what happened in June. This time I had enough latex, about three tons, representing not just lost income but wasted labor, materials, and hope.”
For decades, smallholders like Dolo have lived with such precarity. Firestone’s periodic halts in purchasing forced farmers to accept exploitative prices from middlemen. But this cycle of uncertainty shifted in August, when Dolo learned of the Jeety Rubber Factory in Weala, Margibi County.
The sprawling US$35 million facility, which produces Technical Specified Rubber (TSR10 and TSR20), requires at least 200–250 tons of unprocessed rubber daily to reach its annual capacity of 25,000 tons. Unlike Firestone, Jeety relies almost entirely on smallholder farmers to meet its needs.
“The factory is a blessing. We no longer worry about whether Firestone will buy or not,” said Dolo. “The added advantage with Jeety Rubber is that when you take your rubber to them, they pay cash immediately. There is no going back and forth. It is direct.”
Jeety buys nearly all of its annual supply directly from smallholders at the government’s mandated market price of US$ 574.06 per ton of coagulum (cup lumps or slabs). After deductions—including a 4% government levy (US$22.96), contributions to the Rubber Development Fund Incorporated (US$ 3.17), and the Rubber Planters Association of Liberia (US$ 2.00)—farmers take home a net of US$ 545.93 per ton.
The pricing structure, introduced in June, was designed to protect smallholders from exploitation and restore fairness in a volatile sector. According to regulators, the price is tied to the Singapore Commodity Exchange average from the preceding month, with adjustments for dry rubber content and a 10% processor profit margin.
Officials say this formula provides dignity and predictability for smallholders. Experts agree, noting that fixed pricing shifts smallholders from being “price-takers” to participants in a fairer value chain.
On August 30, 2025, scores of smallholders from Margibi, Bong, Nimba, and Montserrado lined up at Jeety’s factory yard, waiting for payment.
Among them was Merey Napal, who said rubber farming had long been a gamble. “In the last decade, you never knew if buyers would come or at what price. But now, Jeety’s hunger for latex has created a lifeline market for us,” she said.
“If you or your workers are strong enough, and your trees aren’t too old, you can sell three tons weekly—that’s about US$ 1,722 or more monthly,” she calculated. “The profit margin is small, but with constant sales, that’s when you see profit. This is what makes Jeety Rubber a reliable partner. You bring rubber, they buy, and pay cash right away.”
Jerry Sumoward, another smallholder, agreed. He said Firestone’s unpredictable suspensions had driven many farmers away from the business. But Jeety’s demand, he argued, is sparking a revival.
“Recently, many farmers have begun replanting, which is excellent for long-term sustainability,” Sumoward said as he weighed nearly 11 tons of rubber for sale. “This wasn’t a priority when the business wasn’t profitable, but now it is. Rubber farming is expensive, so without constant demand, smallholders’ incomes and livelihoods suffer badly. But now, we anticipate a better future.”
The company spends roughly US$ 114,812 daily on latex purchases—about US$ 803,684 weekly. Between June and December 2025, Jeety is expected to inject US$ 24 million into the economy through purchases at the government price.
This comes in addition to over US$ 20 million spent in the past 18 months when the company bought latex at a lower price of around US$ 400 per ton. Once Jeety begins producing finished rubber goods within the next two years, annual purchases could rise to US$ 40–50 million.
Yet even with heavy spending, Jeety struggles to secure the 25,000 tons needed for full-capacity operations, due in part to aging rubber trees. The Food and Agriculture Organization warns that latex yields decline sharply after 30 years, making continued tapping uneconomical.
To address shortages, Jeety has launched an innovative support scheme: providing interest-free financing to smallholders for replanting and farm expansion. Farmers repay the loans gradually through deductions from future sales.
For Hawa Singbeh, a smallholder from Todee, this system is transformative. “Before, we could only think about today’s problems—where to sell and what price to get,” she explained. “Now, with the company’s support, I am replanting and expanding my farm. They give us money upfront and take it back slowly from our sales. This support helps us prepare for the future.”
She added: “My children can see that rubber farming has a future now. With better trees and steady buyers, we can build something lasting.”
For farmers like Dolo, Napal, Sumoward, and Singbeh, the Jeety Rubber Factory is more than just a buyer—it represents a shift from uncertainty to opportunity. After years of relying on a single dominant player, smallholders now find themselves with a reliable partner committed to their survival and growth.
