Guinea: Driving RN1 – Rubber Tree Plantations

The area of southwestern Guinea, sandwiched between Liberia and Côte d’Ivoire (both top world producers of natural rubber), is prime for rubber tree cultivation. The tropical climate and fertile soil in the Guinée Forestière region are ideal for rubber trees. Rubber tree (Hevea brasiliensis) cultivation in Guinea began as an experimental crop during the colonial period and remained post-independence (still preserving all the 1960s primitive methods. Tree are planted in symmetrical rows and natural rubber is collected and transported manually. Poor roads and lack of processing facilities hinder the efficient production and export of rubber, depriving the country of potential lucrative revenue.